Latest news with #ImmigrationRefugeesandCitizenshipCanada
Globe and Mail
11-08-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Ottawa yet to launch program announced last year that would grant permanent residency to low-wage workers
More than a year after announcing a new immigration stream that would have granted permanent residency to low-wage workers already in Canada, the federal government has yet to move ahead on formally launching the program – suggesting that Ottawa could be backing away from the plan altogether. The plan targeting low-wage workers was informally announced in April 2024, through the Canada Gazette. Consultations were set to begin last year on amending immigration laws to admit a 'new permanent economic class of workers in TEER 4 and TEER 5 jobs.' But the program was not included in July's version of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's forward regulatory plan, which details coming changes to federal immigration rules and programs over the next three years. Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, or TEER, is a job categorization system used by the government for immigration purposes. TEER 4 and TEER 5 workers usually have either a high-school diploma or no formal education at all, and examples of their occupations include delivery service drivers, caregivers, food production and retail workers. IRCC spokesperson Sofica Lukianenko said in a late July e-mail to The Globe and Mail that the department will 'continue to examine the role of immigration in meeting labour market needs at TEER 4 and 5 occupations.' She did not specify whether the program was still being considered by Ottawa, or whether it had been shelved indefinitely. Cancelling the program – which IRCC had billed as a pathway that would replace stand-alone pilot programs and provide a single mechanism to select economic immigrants in 'essential-skilled occupations' – would close off a clear path of access to permanent residency, or PR, for workers in low-wage jobs. Ms. Lukianenko said foreign workers in TEER 4 and 5 jobs already have a number of options for permanent immigration pathways, such as the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (which pledge to grant PR to approximately 5,000 caregivers annually) and a new agricultural workers pilot program that the government intends to launch this year. The most popular way of obtaining PR in Canada as an economic migrant is through the Express Entry system, a program that uses a scorecard to rank prospective immigrants based on skills and education level. Foreign workers in low-wage occupations often fail to meet criteria that would give them enough points to eventually garner PR. Many try their luck through the pilot programs or various provincial immigration programs such as the Atlantic Immigration Program and the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program. But these programs have changed over the years, prioritizing skilled workers in the trades, graduates of Canadian institutions and French-speaking immigrants, leaving low-wage foreign workers with few options for direct paths to PR. Migrant rights advocates have long campaigned for this class of workers (many of them who enter the country through Ottawa's Temporary Foreign Workers program) to be given a clearer path to working and living permanently in Canada. They argue that the splintered nature of Canada's immigration system – with frequent changes in policy priorities, and the creation and termination of various streams – indirectly contributes to the growth of the undocumented population, as workers move in and out of jobs in an attempt to qualify for one of numerous programs, often overstaying their visas. Marina Sedai, a Vancouver-based immigration lawyer and former chair of the Canadian Bar Association's immigration section, said she was not surprised the TEER 4 and 5 program was not on the list of regulatory initiatives recently announced by IRCC. 'The Liberal Party adopted several conservative measures before the election to regain ground in the polls at the time, asserting that students and workers had to be cut to protect the housing and job markets,' she said. Public sentiment toward immigrants has become less friendly over the past two years, fuelled by concerns over housing prices and the overall cost of living. The government is trying to dramatically reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada, which had burgeoned in number over the past five years owing to immigration-friendly policy changes during the pandemic. Temporary residents currently make up about 7.1 per cent of the total population. The government is aiming for a target of 5 per cent by the end of 2026. Scrapping an immigration program that would grant PR to low-wage workers would be a wise move if the government's larger goal is to increase gross domestic product per capita through prioritizing higher-skilled immigrants, argues Mikal Skuterud, a professor of labour economics at the University of Waterloo. Prof. Skuterud was highly critical of the TEER 4 and TEER 5 pathway plan when it was announced last year, telling The Globe at the time that it would suppress wages and undermine public support for immigration. He said Ottawa intended to launch the program to hedge against the growing problem of visa overstayers, as offering foreign workers currently in Canada a direct path to PR en masse would reduce both temporary resident and undocumented populations. Ravi Jain, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, said Canada's temporary resident population has increased so drastically over the past decade that it is unsurprising how federal immigration goals might have shifted. 'It is very much my sense that they do not want to create a 'low-skilled' pathway right now,' he said.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Canada introduces a bill to lift restrictive citizenship by descent norms; Indian diaspora to benefit say experts
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. Canada's immigration minister, Lena Metlege Diab, on Thursday night introduced legislation that will extend citizenship by descent beyond the first-generation. This news has been welcomed by several immigrants, including the Indian diaspora. The Citizenship Act was amended in 2009 to add a 'first-generation limit' to citizenship by descent. This meant that a Canadian citizen parent could pass on citizenship to a child born outside Canada only if the parent was either born in Canada or naturalised before the birth of this child. However, as a result of the first-generation limit, Canadian citizens who were born outside Canada could not in turn pass on citizenship to their child, if the child was also born outside Canada. Nor could they apply for a direct grant of citizenship for a child adopted from outside Canada. The first-generation limit can be illustrated: Mrs. A was born in India and was its former citizen. Subsequently, after migrating, she acquired Canadian citizenship. On her return to India, she bore a child – 'B'. Now, 'B' was eligible to be a Canadian citizen through descent. However, subsequently, 'B' (a Canadian citizen) could not under the first-generation limit rule, pass on citizenship to her child (let's name him C) if C was also born outside Canada. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo 'As a result of the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent for individuals born abroad, most Canadian citizens who are citizens by descent cannot pass on citizenship to their child born or adopted outside Canada. The current first-generation limit to citizenship no longer reflects how Canadian families live today—here at home and around the world—and the values that define our country,' states Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in its release. The proposed amendment comes in the wake of a court ruling last year, which held the first- generation limit to be unconstitutional. TOI, in its edition of January 23, 2024, had reported that the Canadian government would not appeal against this order. While this legislation was also introduced by Marc Miller, former immigration minister, last March, it could not be passed, resulting in its reintroduction. Read also: Canada will not appeal court order that widened passing down of citizenship to children born abroad The proposed bill, 'C-3' would: automatically give Canadian citizenship to any person who would be a citizen today were it not for the first-generation limit or certain outdated provisions of previous citizenship legislation. It would also establish a new framework for citizenship by descent going forward that would allow for access to citizenship beyond the first generation based on a Canadian parent's substantial connection to Canada, demonstrated by at least 1,095 cumulative days (three years) of physical presence in Canada prior to their child's birth or adoption. Speaking to TOI, Ken Nickel-Lane, managing director of an immigration services firm, said, 'While Bill C-3 certainly addresses and rectifies a fault, or faults in the current Citizenship Act which certainly is warranted and just, it may face challenges given current public opinion towards immigration. He cautions that the bill could take away a volume of the spots meant for temporary foreign workers, which are vital for infrastructure and housing projects. IRCC sums up by stating that 'If the bill passes both Houses of Parliament and receives Royal Assent, we will work as quickly as possible to bring these changes into effect.'
CBC
02-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Dreams being lost' as many shut out of IRCC's permanent residency pilot, consultant says
Social Sharing Ghinger Marie Lastimosa wanted to become a Canadian permanent resident so she could keep working as a home support worker for Scarborough seniors without having to worry about her work visa expiring. This week, she got bad news. Lastimosa, a registered nurse in the Philippines who moved to Canada in 2022, is one of tens of thousands of people who went online to apply for one of the limited spots in the federal government's Home Care Worker pilot program at 10 a.m. on Monday. She said she was met with hours-long technical glitches in the online portal before it shut down and was unable to upload her documents. Lastimosa now fears she'll lose her job when her work permit expires next year, and she and her husband will have to leave Canada. "This was my only chance," Lastimosa said. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched its latest pilot on Monday, and Lastimosa wasn't the only one to flag serious problems with the website. Immigration experts say thousands of experienced home workers like Lastimosa didn't have an opportunity to apply because of IRCC's website slowdown. Kevin Thibbles, an immigration consultant, told CBC News the program "froze" as he tried to apply on behalf of six clients. He said he was only able to successfully apply for two of his clients. "The whole portal froze and we were not able to get in," Thibbles said. "It was very unfortunate to just let them know that we couldn't upload their documents and we missed the whole submission and it was very frustrating." Sharing that news with his clients was difficult, Thibbles said. "They actually broke down and started crying … it was very, very sad," he said, adding that he worries people with only six months of training were able to take up spots compared to his clients with more than five years of Canadian work experience. WATCH | New 'chance of a lifetime' program will grant permanent residency — but spots are limited: New 'chance of a lifetime' program will grant permanent residency — but spots are limited 5 days ago Duration 2:41 Anxiety is high as tens of thousands of people are set to apply for the federal government's program that will offer permanent residency for home-care workers. As CBC's Saloni Bhugra explains, immigration advocates are concerned the first come, first served system will leave the most qualified applicants behind. IRCC's pilot invited home-care workers to apply on a first come, first served basis. The pilot was capped at 2,750 applications — 2,475 online and 275 by mail — in each of its two streams – one for child-care workers, the other for home support workers. On Monday, more than 45,000 people tried to apply but the limited spots filled in just over four hours, the IRCC said in an emailed statement to CBC Toronto. "We understand that people who were not able to submit an application are disappointed. Unfortunately, demand for this pathway is greater than spaces available," spokesperson Remi Lariviere said. Manan Gupta, another immigration consultant, expressed concerns that workers are being denied a chance at permanent residency at a moment when their skills are in demand, particularly in Ontario. Even though IRCC says another round of applications will open next year, Gupta says many workers might not be able to use that opportunity. "Many of the deserving candidates will become undocumented. They will be out of status. They will not be able to work in Canada," he said. "It leaves a lot of dreams being crushed, dreams being lost." The province of Ontario has said it needs nearly 51,000 new personal support workers (PSWs) by 2032, and those in the industry say pilot programs like these are key. Gupta and other immigration experts say they are left questioning why IRCC is not implementing a merit-based system to fill that gap. Applicants only needed to have six months of recent work experience or have completed six months of training, compared to last year when two years of work experience was required, according to IRCC. The language proficiency requirements were also lower, and all applicants needed a valid job offer from a private home or from an eligible organization that hires home-care workers. Lariviere said the IRCC lowered the eligibility requirements to accommodate workers who were not able to meet the criteria for previous pilots. The first-come, first-served approach "strives towards providing equal opportunities to anyone who meets the qualifications," it said. Thibbles says IRCC should have let everyone apply and then access applications based on merit. Gupta agrees. "People like Ghinger who had multiple years of experience, have been left out due to technical glitches," he said. "On a comparative basis, a six-month training or six-month experience holder who was able to use the fastest finger first or who was able to be in a stable Internet area was able to submit." Lariviere said "the annual application intake caps … are an important measure for managing pilot program inventory sizes and wait times."
