Canada Immigration News

Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke on Friday, 12 May detailing a committment by the Canadian federal government to make it easier for parents to obtain Canadian citizenship for children adopted from overseas.

"Parents go to great effort and expense to bring these children into their families," said Prime Minister Harper. "They open their hearts and their homes to provide opportunities and want the very best for them."

As of now, foreign students studying in Canada can apply for off-campus work permits, Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced today.

"Foreign students make a significant contribution to Canada," said the Minister. "They enrich campus and community life with new ideas and new cultures, and they are an important pool of potential future skilled workers that Canadian businesses need to remain competitive."

Canadian construction workers held a press conference to voice their concern over the government's immigration policies and the consequences to the construction industry.

The 35,000 construction workers told reporters the current system of point assessment for skilled immigrants is disadvantageous to the industry because of the emphasis placed on higher education in the assessment.

Canada is experiencing a 32 year low in unemployment. There are now labour shortfalls occuring in certain sectors. The construction industry is suffering huge skilled labour shortages, especially in the province of British Columbia.

With Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, employers are desperately searching for construction workers, and companies in the industry are booked more than a year in advance.

A study commissioned by the immigration ministry of Quebec suggests the stereotype of foreign trained immigrants not finding skilled employment in their particuliar field is not founded.

The study was commissioned to research whether immigrants who had settled in Quebec Canada, find employment in their field of expertise within 5 years of settlement. The study was lead by researcher Jean Renaud and looked at the job history of approximately 1,500 recent immigrants.

The Mexican President Vincente Fox has offered Canada a solution to the labour shortages it is experiencing, due in part to its aging population.

The president of Mexico did not give too much away, but said Mexican workers should be able to sign up with labour providers in Canada for specific time periods.