SETTING THE CONTEXT SEPTEMBER 2014. Residents of Canada Permanent Immigrants / landed 1.Refugee...
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Transcript of SETTING THE CONTEXT SEPTEMBER 2014. Residents of Canada Permanent Immigrants / landed 1.Refugee...
Residents of Canada
PermanentImmigrants / landed
1. Refugee Class2. Economic Class3. Family Class
• Intend to stay• Eligible for all settlement
services• Have almost all the rights of
citizens
Temporary
1. Temporary foreign workers
2. International students/graduates
• May apply to stay• Eligible for some settlement
services (funded by Provincial Government)
Permanent Residents to Canada 2013
Newfoundland & Labrador
Prince Edward Island
New Brunswick
Nova Scotia
Saskatchewan
Manitoba
British Columbia
Alberta
Quebec
Ontario
0 2000040000
6000080000
100000120000
Permanent Residents to Nova Scotia 2004-13
20042005
20062007
20082009
20102011
20122013
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Permanent Residents to NS by Category 2003-12
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Family class Economic immigrants Refugees Other immigrants
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada / ISIS
Permanent Residents to NS by Source Area 2012
Africa + the Middle East25%
Asia + Pacific37%
South + Central Amer-ica4%
United
States9%
Eu-rope + the United
Kingdom
24%
Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada / ISIS
Permanent & Temporary Resident Entries to Nova Scotia 2013
Permanent Residents International students Temporary workers0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
1,971 1,9441,210
581 902
1058
Halifax Other Nova Scotia
2552 2846
2268
94% of Nova Scotians were born in Canada
93.9
5.3
0.8
Nova Scotia
Non-immigrantsImmigrantsNon-permanent residents
78.3
20.6
1.1
Canada
Source: Statistics Canada / ISIS
Refugee Class
A Refugee is a person…
\“…who is outside his or her home country and who has a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
- Geneva Convention
GOVERNMENT –ASSISTED
(GAR)
PRIVATELY SPONSORED
REFUGEE CLAIMANT(Asylum seekers)
Recognized overseas by UNHCR as refugee
Recognized overseas by UNHCR as refugee
Gets here and requests refugee status - has to prove that s/he has a valid refugee claim
Permanent resident Permanent resident Temporary resident
Eligible for all settlement services
Eligible for all settlement services
Eligible for some settlement services if s/he has a work permit
Supported by CIC for one year after arrival
Supported by sponsors for one year after arrival
Context and Changes – Refugee Class• Significant decrease in #s for Government assisted
refugees (GARs)• Significant decrease in allocations for Privately
sponsored refugees (PSRs)• Processing wait times have increased
Implications
• Lack of response to critical situations eg. Syria
• Long waits for family reunification
Family Class• Spouse or partner• Parent or grandparent• Child
As a sponsor, you must make sure your spouse or relative does not need to seek financial assistance from the government
Context and Changes – Family Class• Currently closed to applications for parents, grandparents
• Beg. Aug. 1, 2014 ‘child’=18 years, no student exemption
• Provisional visa for spouses in relationship < 2yrs
• Overall decrease in parents ,grandparents ‘super visa’
• Sponsors need a higher income over longer period
Implications• Decrease in #s of international students’ families?• Frustrated local families
Economic ClassIncludes:
a) Skilled Workersb) Business Categoriesc) Canadian Experienced) Skilled Tradese) Provincial Nominee Programs
New route for all Economic Class, 2015 = Express Entry
Largest stream
a) Skilled Workersi) minimum one year experience in one of 50 designated occupations OR
ii) qualifying offer of arranged employment OR
iii) eligibility for the PhD streamPLUS• Language, credential assessment, age, Canadian work
experience
b) Business Start-up Visa
New federal program
Began April 1, 2013
For entrepreneurs with ideas for new business ventures and financial backing from Canadian investors
c) Canadian Experience Class
• have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) skilled work experience in Canada in the three years before you apply
• have gained your experience in Canada with the
proper authorization • meet the required language levels needed for
your job for each language skill (speaking, reading, writing and listening)).
d) Skilled Trades
• meet criteria for language levels in all four skills
• have at least two years FT work experience in a skilled trade within five years before you apply
• meet all job requirements for that skilled trade as set out in NOC and have either
- an offer of FT employment for at least one year or
- a certificate of qualification in trade issued by
provincial body
e) Provincial Nominees – Nova ScotiaNominated by province if they meet program criteria
i) Skilled Worker• FT job offer from NS employer
ii) Regional Labour Market Demand (closed til Jan 2015)• No job offer needed • Intention to join labour market with F/T perm. pos.• Wish to live in NS permanently. • Must declare intended occupation (on list, qualif., exp.)
iii) Family Business Worker• FT job offer from relative’s business in NS
Context and Changes – Economic Class • Beg. Aug., 2014 ‘child’ = 18 yrs-no student exemption• Last applications before Express Entry in Jan 2015• Caps - Skilled worker - Sub-caps of 1,000 for each 50 occupations. No caps for valid job offer
- Skilled Trades – 3,000 - Provincial Nominees – NS – 700
Implications
• More difficult to immigrate to NS
• NS employers unprepared for Express Entry
• #s = settlement funding levels
Potential Game Changers 1. Temporary Foreign Workers – new and impending policies
2. Federal response to critical refugee situation in Syria/Iraq
3. Settlement Program Evaluation – tied to $
4. Premier’s Advisory Cttee and One NS Cttee – Immigration
5. Municipality – increased interest and involvement
6. PRs transitioning from temporary – program change?
7. Continued uncertainty around Job Fund Agreement (LMA)
8. Federal focus on pre-arrival
9. Express Entry
Express Entry
• New process to give employers a direct role in recruiting economic immigrants, starting Jan.1, 2015
• Linked to federal streams for Economic class
• PNP will keep base # spaces to use as before, “top-up” # to allow province “to fish in pool”. No details.
• No route for lower skilled individuals except on case by case basis through PNP
Express EntryStep One – Application submissionMust meet basic criteria for language, education, work
experience and age into pool
While in pool Must create job seeker profile on Job Bank for employersMust promote self through other sites: Linkedin, etc.
Step Two – Invitation to Apply through either: Job offer PN certificate Selection by CIC for high human capital Step Three – Submit full application
Express Entry• Once application is complete and submitted, processing within
6 months
• If no Invitation to Apply is received submission will expire after 1 year in pool. Can apply again
• Employers will be offered matches through Job Bank – first local, then regional, then Canada-wide, THEN international
• Employers will still want faster process, so likely will continue to use TFWs, (if still available) who will then apply for PR
Discussion• Do the potential game-changers impact the ISIS mission?• Do the potential game-changers impact the ISIS strategic plan?• The Ivany Report and spotlight on immigration creates opportunities for
ISIS. How can we take advantage of these opportunities? Consider the following:a. Offer of assistance from Don Millsb. Role of the Board c. Potential engagement of community leaders outside the Board to work in partnership with ISIS
• To date, the organization’s efforts related to public policy have been primarily in the background, using the credibility and trust placed in ISIS by key policymakers and stakeholders to influence decision-making.
• The volatility of the current environment and the profile of immigration created by the Ivany Report have raised the question of whether ISIS should consider a more public advocacy role. What are the pros and cons of moving in this direction?