Canada Immigration News

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is promising to phase out a hated immigration landing fee he imposed in 1995, his latest effort to gather support for his party among new Canadians.

Martin now calls the $975 fee a barrier to immigrants entering Canada, particularly immigrant families. In his 1995 budget, Martin imposed the fee to help pay for settlement services for newcomers, although opponents condemned it as a simple money grab.

Canada has no interest in a new U.S. initiative to study building a security wall along the border, Canadian officials said. A cross-border business group said it makes no sense when what's urgently required are measures to speed the flow of trade.The study "on the use of physical barriers" was slipped into an amendment to a bill on border security and illegal immigration passed Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joe Volpe, Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Nov. 24 announced the Government of Canada will invest an additional $700 million over five years to make important improvements to the federal immigration system.

These improvements include funding to start reducing the current inventory of applications at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and a new process to allow immigrants with Canadian experience or Canadian education to apply for permanent resident status under the new In-Canada Economic Stream in 2007.

The Government of Canada will invest an additional $920 million over the next five years in immigration-related issues Ontario. The funding is intended to help more newcomers reach their full potential in Ontario by increasing the money for services to help them settle, integrate and access language training. Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, signed the Canada–Ontario Immigration Agreement.

Countries hoping to integrate new immigrants should make sure the immigrants remain proud of and interested in their ethnic culture as well as their new home, suggests a new study on immigrant youth.

Canada is likely to introduce major changes to its immigration policy, including plans to take in as many as 300,000 new immigrants annually within the next five years. The multiyear plan, which was to be presented to parliament late on 31 Oct., still needs cabinet approval.

Canada is on track to accept 245,000 immigrants this year, the high end of last year's target.