World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Canada election: Where do all the parties stand on immigration caps? (Global News)
The Canadian federal election is underway, and immigration is currently listed as the seventh most relevant concern after inflation, escalating costs of living, international relations, health care, and housing affordability. Federal parties are beginning to roll out their platforms, each with distinct objectives for the future of immigration to Canada:
The federal election is set to take place on April 28.
To Read Further:
Recent trends in migration flows from the United States to Canada (Stats Canada)
Canada has long been a choice destination for US residents. A recent report from Statistics Canada details that over the years, changes in federal administrations have had direct impact on decisions to move to Canada. Migration from the US into Canada had been a steady flow following the Vietnam War, up until the early 2000s. Since 2005, south to north migration patterns have been more closely linked to economic conditions in both countries. However, there was a shift in the mid-2010's where political conditions have played a more significant role in choices to migrate. In recent years, many US residents who have migrated to Canada have either been non-US citizens or American nationals who had lived in Canada and opted for permanent residency. Numbers have increased exponentially for individuals coming from the US, seeking to settle permanently in Canada. In part, researchers cite, that these shifts can be attributed to more restrictive immigration policies in the US, such as increased caps on visas, rigorous deportation plans, and backlogs in application processing. Alternatively, Canada may be seen as a plausible option for many seeking greater flexibility and additional pathways for economic immigration and educational programming.
To Read Further:
Canada’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots now open (CIC)
Canada’s highly anticipated Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) have officially launched, accepting applications as of March 31. These programs seek to provide pathways to permanent residency (PR) for internationally trained home care workers. IRCC will accept 2750 applications through the Child Care stream and 2750 through the Home Support stream, on a first-come-first-served basis. Within each stream, 140 application spots will be reserved for out-of-status and unauthorized workers in Canada. Many are welcoming the opening of the programs; however, concerns are mounting over caps to the pilot. Advocates are worried that current pilot intake limits are significantly lower than the number of foreign nationals in waiting. Previous editions of the pilots had no intake caps and accepted an unlimited number of applications, granting PR to just over 5,000 annually. As applicants are rushing to qualify for the pilot, the federal government is being urged to adjust intake levels and facilitate streamlined processing.
To Read Further:
Foreign nurses recruitment program in Quebec plagued by major flaws, internal report reveals (CBC)
An immigration stream launched to attract internationally educated nurses (IENs) has been under scrutiny. The pilot, according to feedback from several IENs, is on the brink of failure, due to systemic oversights including limited information provision, cultural competency, and social integration supports. Upon their arrival, IENs faced obstacles in accessing adequate housing, childcare, and transportation. Launched in 2022, the pilot seeks to bring 1500 foreign nurses to Quebec by 2028 to work in regions of the province that are facing acute labour shortages. Candidates would receive training at local colleges and a stipend of $500 a week. The internal report documents that the first phase of the pilot experienced challenges in organization and did not prepare nurses for what to expect for life in Quebec. Additionally, training curriculum posed concerns as many IENs found the 14-month program to be unnecessarily tedious and raised instances of xenophobia and discrimination. Despite pledges, job prospects post-graduation were not secure, forcing many IENs to consider precarious routes to employment upon program completion.
Further Reading:
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