Your gateway to Canada

By Attorney Henry Moyal

NEW IMMIGRATION SYSTEM MAY BE ON THE HORIZON

The federal government is in the process of revamping yet again Canada’s Immigration system. While no specifics are being revealed, the federal minister has stated that the system needs fixing.

The main areas to be focused on are:

Illegal Immigrants

There are tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants who are living illegally in Canada, says federal Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe.

He has drafted a number of options designed to regularize undocumented workers and is preparing to bring them to his government. However, granting a blanket amnesty to those living illegally in Canada is not on the table.

The problem of “illegals” is complex and has been dealt with time and time again in the USA. Do we provide them with an amnesty which tends to rewards queue jumpers? Or are they to be rewarded for doing jobs that others do not want to do? Many are hardworking individuals doing jobs paying taxes on their earnings.

It is estimated that there between 10,000 to 120,000 illegals in Canada but there is no way of knowing since there is no system to keep track of visitors in Canada.

Canada’s problem with those living illegally in the country does not compare to the United States where an estimated 1,000 Mexican workers cross into the country daily.

In the USA, president Bush has already decided to tackle the same issue but has also indicated that there will not be a blanket amnesty. We will wait and see how each country deals with this issue.

Independent Immigrants

It has been reported that the current selection grid concentrates too much on education and not on trade and skills. The federal minister has indicated that a change is needed to shift a focus on tradespeople who can build the country and do jobs that can build the economy.

Currently there is a shortage of workers in the hospitality , trucking and construction fields.

Attorney Henry Moyal is a certified and licensed Immigration Lawyer in Toronto, Ontario. The above article is general advice only and not intended to act as a legal document. Send questions in confidence to Balita or to Attorney Moyal by fax, mail or email canada@moyal.com