Immigration in Canada

Introducing Speak English Better Blog

2009-05-10T13:37:00.006-04:00

Introducing Speak English Better Blog

Speak English Better is written by a certified English (as a Second Language) teacher and professional Communication Coach. It is aimed at students, immigrants and professionals who wish to improve their English fluency, accent and cultural understanding. Enjoy!

Recent Posts

Re-writing Canada's Citizenship Book?
There was a hot debate on last night's local TV show The Agenda with Steve Paikin, over the definition and requirements for Canadian citizenship. Issues discussed were language proficiency (in either English or French), multiculturalism vs. integration, what history should be taught, melting pot vs. mozaic theory here and in the USA, LINC classes, etc. Excellent debate. Here is a related article on the subject. (Click this title to view the whole article).
http://speakenglishbetter.blogspot.com/2009/04/agenda-canadian-citizenship-debate.html

Where Did the English Language Come From?
What is this crazy language called English? What is the history of this internationally used 'milkshake' of a language?
I found this article very interesting on the history and development of the English language. Here is a start:

A short history of the origins and development of the English language
http://speakenglishbetter.blogspot.com/2009/04/re-writing-canadas-citizenship-book.html

New Links to Improve English
I have revised the tab on the right side of this blog to include a few new links to help you study ESL. Scroll down a bit and on your right you will see:

Links to Improve English
* Everyday English Idioms Ebook
* ESL in Canada Information Directory
* ESL Depot - Resources
* English (E.S.L.) Coaching - Toronto
* Communication Resource Centre
*for additional info:
http://speakenglishbetter.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-links-to-improve-english.html

Link to Speak English Better blog
http://speakenglishbetter.blogspot.com/

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Scam Alert about Dishonest Immigration Consultants

2009-05-01T16:25:00.004-04:00

An advertising campaign is being launched to help potential immigrants know how to protect themselves against false claims from dishonest immigration consultants, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced.

“This government takes a tough stance against dishonest immigration consultants who make false promises, or counsel immigrants to lie or cheat to come to Canada,” said Minister Kenney. The ads are part of national campaign to warn about immigration-related fraud.

“We want immigrants to know how to protect themselves against fraud. We want immigration consultants, in Canada and overseas, to know that we will do everything we can to protect the integrity of the Canadian immigration system.” Minister Kenney repeated his plans to consult communities to hear about their experiences and suggestions to improve prevention and enforcement.

The ads, which run until the end of the month in ethnic and mainstream press and on the Internet, direct people to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website where they can learn how to find an authorized immigration consultant, lawyer or notary if they choose to use one. They can also find links to where they can go to take action if they believe they have been cheated.

This campaign follows the recent launch of a multilingual warning video, now available on YouTube, the Citizenship and Immigration website and soon through overseas missions. To view the video, please visit the CIC website.

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

New Canada Citizenship Rules

2009-02-05T10:12:00.003-05:00

A new law will come into effect on April 17, 2009, amending the Citizenship Act.

The new law will give Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time.

Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the date of loss or date of birth, depending on the situation.

People will not have to apply for citizenship, but may need to apply for a citizenship certificate to prove their citizenship.

Individuals who are Canadian citizens at the time the law comes into effect will keep their citizenship.

Until the new law comes into effect, the current law will apply.

This means that people who will become citizens under the new law are not citizens yet. Once the new law comes into effect, these people may apply for proof of citizenship.

As well, foreign-born persons adopted by a Canadian citizen between January 1, 1947, and February 14, 1977, must wait to apply for citizenship until the new law comes into effect.

This also means that people who will become citizens under the new law but wish to move to Canada before it comes into effect must contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada to find out what steps they must take to come to Canada using current immigration processes.

Also, people born outside Canada who are subject to the retention rules and who will turn 28 before the law comes into effect must still take action to retain citizenship.

For additional information go to:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules-citizenship.asp

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

The Canadian Immigrant Investor Program

2008-10-31T19:40:00.011-04:00

The Business Immigration Program seeks to attract experienced business people to Canada who will support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy.

Canada has three classes of business immigrants. Each application can be made for only one class and cannot be changed once the application is submitted. The criteria you must meet to qualify are different for each class.

Find out if you can immigrate as an investor.

In order to qualify, you must first meet the definition of an investor. The following terms are defined in the regulations:

Investor means a foreign national who

has business experience;
has a legally obtained net worth of at least CAN $800,000; and
they intend to make or have made an investment.

Business experience
Means a minimum of two years of experience consisting of two one-year periods of experience in the management of a qualifying business and the control of a percentage of equity of the qualifying business during the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a decision is made on the application;

or two one-year periods of experience in the management of at least five full-time job equivalents per year in a business during the period beginning five years before the date of application for a permanent resident visa and ending on the day a decision is made on the application,

or a combination of a one-year period of experience described in subparagraph (i) and a one-year period of experience described in subparagraph (ii);
Full-time job equivalent means 1,950 hours of paid employment.

Minimum net worth means that the investor must have at least $800,000 to qualify as an Immigrant Investor.

Net assets, in respect of a qualifying business or a qualifying Canadian business, means the assets of the business, minus the liabilities of the business, plus shareholder loans made to the business by the foreign national who is making or has made an application for a permanent resident visa and their spouse or common-law partner.

Net income, in respect of a qualifying business or a qualifying Canadian business, means the after tax profit or loss of the business plus remuneration by the business to the foreign national who is making or has made an application for a permanent resident visa and their spouse or common-law partner.

Net worth, in respect of an investor, other than an investor selected by a province, means the fair market value of all of the assets of the investor and their spouse or common-law partner minus the fair market value of all of their liabilities;

Percentage of equity means

in respect of a sole proprietorship, 100 per cent of the equity of the sole proprietorship controlled by a foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner;

in respect of a corporation, the percentage of the issued and outstanding voting shares of the capital stock of the corporation controlled by a foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner;

and in respect of a partnership or joint venture, the percentage of the profit or loss of the partnership or joint venture to which a foreign national or their spouse or common-law partner is entitled.

Qualifying business means a business—other than a business operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income such as interest, dividends or capital gains—for which, during the year under consideration, there is documentary evidence of any two of the following:

the percentage of equity multiplied by the number of full-time job equivalents is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year;

the percentage of equity multiplied by the total annual sales is equal to or greater than $500,000;

the percentage of equity multiplied by the net income in the year is equal to or greater than $50,000;

and the percentage of equity multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than $125,000.

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Canada Immigrant population by place of birth

2008-05-24T18:17:00.006-04:00

Immigrant population by place of birth(2006 Census)

Place of birth

United States 250,535
Central and South America 381,165
Caribbean and Bermuda 317,765

Europe 2,278,345
United Kingdom 579,625
Other Northern and Western Europe 489,540
Eastern Europe 511,095
Southern Europe 698,080

Africa 374,565

Asia and the Middle East 2,525,160
West Central Asia and the Middle East 370,515
Eastern Asia 874,370
Southeast Asia 560,995
Southern Asia 719,275
Oceania and other countries 59,410

Number Total -6,186,950

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo34a.htm

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Canada Immigration for Skilled workers and Professionals

2008-04-22T09:32:00.006-04:00

Canada Immigration for Skilled workers and Professionals

To immigrate into Canada as a skilled worker or professional there are six selection factors and a pass mark for eligibility.

Education
Maximum 25 points

Ability in English and/or French
Maximum 24 points

Experience
Maximum 21 points

Age
Maximum 10 points

Arranged employment in Canada
Maximum 10 points

Adaptability
Maximum 10 points

Total Maximum 100 points
Pass mark 67 points

For additional information about Ability in English and/or French

NOTE
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officers will not conduct an interview to assess your language skills. CIC will only use test results from organizations approved by CIC in assigning language points.

Official language testing

The best way to provide proof of language skills is to take a language proficiency test given by an organization that is approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

English Language Testing Organizations

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

The University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate, IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia and the British Council administer this test.

Note: IELTS has two options for the reading and writing tests: General Training and Academic. You must take the General Training option.

French Language Testing Organizations

TEF: Test d’évaluation de français

The Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry administers these tests.

The total maximum marks for the first official language is 16 with a maximum of 8 points for your second official language.

We will expand other selection factors in future posts.

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

New Help for 400 Immigrants in Peterborough

2008-03-29T22:16:00.007-04:00

Government of Canada announces funding to help newcomers settle in Peterborough
Peterborough,

March 28, 2008 — Dean Del Mastro, Member of Parliament for Peterborough, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced funding to help the New Canadians Centre deliver settlement services to an estimated 400 immigrants in Peterborough.

The funding of more than $450,000 is expected to help newcomers to Canada access settlement services in the city such as language training, paraprofessional counselling and assistance in finding a job, including access to workplace training opportunities in bookkeeping, computer repair, the legal field, food service and other occupations.

“The Government of Canada is committed to helping newcomers succeed,” said Mr. Del Mastro. “One of the biggest challenges for newcomers when they arrive in Canada is finding employment. The job training opportunities offered by the New Canadians Centre give newcomers a chance to gain Canadian experience, making them more attractive to Canadian employers.”

“The new funding will allow our centre to serve newcomers who now call Peterborough and the Kawartha region their home,” said Carmela Valles, Executive Director of New Canadians Centre Peterborough. “With support from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), we are better able to assist hundreds of newcomer clients and help them successfully integrate and participate in their new communities.”

Settlement services are an essential part of the federal government’s immigration program. Through the COIA, the Government of Canada has increased settlement funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. Under the COIA, CIC works with the province and immigrant-serving agencies to make a real difference in the lives of immigrants. In 2006, the Government of Canada began investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding across the country.

Newcomers to Canada can also turn to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which helps internationally trained individuals find the information they need to get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly. Established in 2007, the FCRO provides information, path-finding and referral services to help internationally trained individuals use their skills in Canada. There are now 320 Service Canada centres across the country offering in-person services to newcomers.

CIC funds a number of programs that help newcomers settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society. These programs are delivered in partnership with provinces, territories and service-providing organizations and include the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, which provides orientation, referral and paraprofessional counselling services; Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, which provides basic language training for adults; and the Host Program, which helps newcomers connect with volunteers who help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community.

For more information on CIC programs: www.cic.gc.ca

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

How to Shop for Canadian Immigration Services

2008-03-01T14:29:00.006-05:00

The first task is to choose a program from the wide range of Canadian immigration services.

The Citizenship Program receives and processes applications for Canadian citizenship and grants Canadian citizenship to successful applicants.

The Host Program helps new permanent Canadian residents, refugees and protected persons adjust to life in Canada by matching them with Canadian volunteers who will assist them to carry out day to day functions in Canada.

The Permanent Resident Program provides information on immigrating to Canada and applying for Canadian permanent resident status. The Permanent Resident (PR) Card program issues PR Cards to permanent residents of Canada. The PR card holders must present this card when traveling by commercial carrier when traveling back into Canada.

The Resettlement Assistance Program helps individuals resettle in Canada by providing financial assistance and covers the costs of accommodations, essential clothing, household effects and other living expenses.

The Study Permits Program issues study permits (formerly "student authorizations") to eligible foreign students and provides information on the study permits application process.

The Temporary Resident Visa Program issues temporary resident visas either single entry visas or multiple entry visas and transit visas to eligible individuals and provides information on the Temporary Resident Visa Program application process.

The Travel Documents Program issues travel documents to individuals who have status in Canada. The Travel Documents Program also issues certificates of identity to legally landed persons.

The Work Permits Program issues work permits to eligible foreign workers who wish to work temporarily in Canada, provides information on the work permit application process, and issues visitor records for business visitors to Canada.

The second task is to apply yourself or choose to use an unpaid or paid representative.

The paid representatives must have both federal and provincial licenses and have to be in good standing with either the Canadian provincial or territorial law society, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, or the Chambre des notaires du Québec.

The third task is to assemble and complete the correct application forms for the Canadian immigration program that you have chosen. You can do this yourself or use a representative to assist in the form completion process. You must submit application fees in advance to the Canadian government according to the CIC fee schedule before any processing occurs.

The fourth task is to plan for the move to Canada - where to live - get a job - school for the kids - plan for banking - shopping - transportation and many more activities.

Original Post
http://www.eslincanada.ca/immigrationservices.html

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Links to our favourite websites:

Link to ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English tutors, teachers, classes, lessons, Canada universities, colleges, schools, Canadian ESL English as a second language
schools, programs, instructors, free ESL English lessons, homestay, education coaching, consulting services, student resources, information and advice across Canada, North America

Link to TLC Travel Language Culture Network language exchanges, travel, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services

Link to Sentence Master English Writing Game that helps students improve English
grammar, English vocabulary, writing phrases, clauses and complete English sentences.

Living in Canada

2008-02-29T11:52:00.006-05:00

A prosperous diverse economy, free medical services, low crime rate and democratic system based on the right to vote to all adults make Canada one of the most favoured countries in the world for immigration.

People from all over the world migrate to Canada to live a peaceful life.

Canada is a huge country, occupies more than 40% of Northern America and still only has 31,000,000 people living there.

Canada is divided into 10 provinces and three territories has a Constitutional Monarchy and is part of the British Commonwealth of Nations with an elected federal system of parliamentary government. The head of the federal government is the Prime Minister and the head of the provinces are titled premiers. The Queen's representative in Federal parliament is the Governor General.

English and French are the two official languages in Canada. All Federal government institutions, banks, and other national organizations use both official languages in their communication. Many organizationa also make information available in up to 20 languages to assist travelers and visitors to Canada.

Most of the immigrants choose to live in one of the three biggest Canadian cities: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Some of the newcomers prefer to live in smaller communities and pick Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Windsor, Ottawa, London, Halifax, Kitchener, Kingston, Fredriction, Charlottetown, St John and St. John's.

Depending on the skills and the work experience of the newcomers, some cities specific resource based jobs, technology based jobs, information based jobs or finance based jobs.

Canada is a wonderful country to live, work and visit. Come and visit our ESL in Canada Directory at
http://www.eslincanada.com .

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Immigration in Canada Blog

2008-02-12T17:32:00.004-05:00

Welcome to Immigration in Canada

Immigration in Canada is an information blog that will cover immigration topics, provide web resources information articles, how to immigrate tips, who to contact, what to prepare, how to start, what to expect, English language training requirements, job training and how to get a job as an immigrant in Canada.

Come back often or get our RSS feed

From
Best Canada Education

From the Government of Canada Site:

Immigration has long been integral to Canada's social, cultural and economic development. With time, both the character of immigration and its role in Canadian society have changed to reflect new domestic and global realities.

Data from the 2001 Census show that between 1991 and 2000 alone, 2.2 million immigrants were admitted to Canada, the highest number for any decade in the past century. In contrast, 1.3 million immigrants came in the 1980s and 1.4 million in each of the 1970s and 1960s. The majority of the immigrants who arrived in Canada during the 1990s were in the working ages of 25 to 64 years and increased the size of Canada's working age population by more than 1.1 million.

For more information go to:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/81-004-XIE/2005005/impop.htm

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The 2003 International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) collected data from large samples of recent and established immigrants to answer key questions about the literacy levels of these two groups.

The report on the Canadian results of IALSS, Building on Our Competencies, 4 published in November 2005, presents an analysis of skill levels for three groups of individuals - the Canadian-born, recent immigrants (those who have been in Canada for 10 years or less) and established immigrants (those who have been in Canada for more than 10 years).

The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults used printed information to function in society. Survey data include background information (demographic, education, language, labour force, training, literacy uses, information and communication technology, income) and psychometric results of respondents' proficiency along four skill domains: prose and document literacy, numeracy and problem-solving.

Go here for additional information:
http://www.statcan.ca/cgi-bin/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=4406&lang=en&db=IMDB&dbg=f&adm=8&dis=2

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Language Skill proficiencies of the immigrant population

Immigrants aged 16 to 65 performed significantly below the average for the Canadian- born population in all four domains. The average prose literacy score for the Canadian-born population corresponded to Level 3 proficiency, while for recent immigrants the average score was at Level 2. Differences in performance between Canadian-born and recent as well as established immigrants were largest for prose literacy and smallest for numeracy.

In all four domains, a higher percentage of both recent and established immigrants performed at Levels 1 and 2 than did the Canadian-born population. Sixty percent of recent and established immigrants, compared to 37 percent of the Canadian-born population, were at Levels 1 and 2 in prose literacy.

At the other end of the proficiency scale, twelve percent of established and eight percent of recent immigrants performed at Level 4/5. This compares to 22 percent of the Canadian-born population - indicating that the differences between Canadian-born and immigrants were larger than they were between the two immigrant groups.

There were large differences in literacy performance between immigrants and the Canadian-born with the same level of educational attainment. About two percent of the university-educated Canadian-born scored at Level 1 in prose literacy proficiency. In comparison, 14 percent of university-educated established immigrants and 18 percent of recent immigrants scored at this level. At the other end of the scale, 37 percent of university-educated Canadian-born scored at Levels 4/5 compared to 21 percent of university-educated established immigrants and 11 percent of university-educated recent immigrants.

The IALSS results show that proficiency of Canadians aged 16 to 65 in literacy, numeracy and problem solving is clearly linked to their labour market outcomes.

Read the IALSS Conclusions here:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/81-004-XIE/2005005/impop.htm

Our Comments

More English Language training is required by immigrants who are in Canada and should be obtained by potential immigrants getting ready to immigrate into Canada.

For IELTS English Test information go to the TOEFL TOEIC IELTS blog

To receive free Canada immigration information use this form

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Immigration in Canada Blog URL
http://immigration-in-canada.blogspot.com/

Links to our favourite websites:

Link to ESL in Canada Directory of ESL English tutors, teachers, classes, lessons, Canada universities, colleges, schools, Canadian ESL English as a second language
schools, programs, instructors, free ESL English lessons, homestay, education coaching, consulting services, student resources, information and advice across Canada, North America

Link to TLC Travel Language Culture Network language exchanges, travel, immigration, employment, shopping, homestay and professional services

Link to Sentence Master English Writing Game that helps students improve English
grammar, English vocabulary, writing phrases, clauses and complete English sentences.