The Challenges Surrounding Immigration Policy In Canada

From UBC Wiki

Immigration Policy In Canada

Overview

Currently Canada has 8 immigration application methods. They are referenced on the Canadian Immigration Canada website as: (i) Quebec-selected skilled workers; skilled worker selection process is independent of Federal oversight, (ii) Start-up visa; targets entrepreneurs that can create new jobs in the market, (iii) Immigrant investors; provide capital to the Canadian economy, (iv) Self-employed; cultural and athletic contributions to society, or, farm management skills, (v) Family Sponsorship; Canadian citizens can sponsor spouses/children, parents, grandparents, and other relatives, (vi) Provincial nominees; each province has its own immigration program in place and varies in terms of skills, language, economic resources, education, etc., (vii) Caregivers; inclusive of child-care, high medical needs assistance, and live-in caregivers, and (viii) Refugees; immigrants that are fleeing from war or an issue pertaining to human rights.[1] Though there has been much improvement to the selection process, through re-structuring of programs, and express entry applications, there is still much frustration for many immigrants throughout the immigration process pertaining to the policies in place. Primarily, immigrants that are arriving within the family sponsorship program, skilled workers program, caregiver program, and political refugee program face some of the most challenging obstacles when immigrating to Canada. Notably these four categories are based on a selection process pertaining to factors that are a by-product of a disadvantaged socio-economic status and therefore face more vulnerability when integrating into Canadian society.[2]

Issues Surrounding Family Sponsorhip

Parents/Grandparents

Parents and grandparents are an integral part of an immigrant family's success when integrating into Canadian society. This is reinforced by the backlog faced by Citizenship and Immgration Canada (CIC) which reached 160,000 qualified applicants in 2011.[3] This backlog has been a hindrance for both the family's looking to sponsor their parents/grandparents, as well as the Canadian government, where in 2011/2012, estimated process times for this category of family sponsorship was set at 7 years.[4] The reunification process of parent/grandparent sponsorship was put on "freeze" by the Canadian government from 2012-2014 to restructure the application process, however as of January 2016, wait times are still estimated four years and up, even with an attempt to double applications accepted under the parent/grandparent reunification program.[5]The argument remains that the reunification of parents/grandparents is not in the best economic interests of the state, as it affects its healthcare system and social service markets. What is unaccounted for is the family support which is associated with parent/grandparent sponsorship, their community involvement, and willingness to remain in labor markets.[6]

Spouses/Children

The issues of wait times for spousal sponsorship and dependents is also a considerable issue in Canadian immigration policy. As of November 2016, processing times for spouses living inside of Canada is 26 months, and for those living outside of Canada is 17 months. Furthermore, dependent children wait times on average range from 12-18 months depending upon the origin of immigration. [7] What sticks out beyond these wait times is that spouses that are under review for their first stage of sponsorship within Canada (medical reviews, background checks, etc.) are not issued temporary work permits to help support their families economically. This in tandem with the application process which both exhausts time and money has further complicated the ability for spousal sponsorship to be regulated successfully.[8] Below is a video by MP Ruby Sahota questioning Immigration Minister John McCallum on wait times for spouses and child dependents, where McCallum suggests a lack of economic resources to maintain healthy processing times for Canadians. Though efforts have been made to accommodate for a lack of finances in conjunction with a preexisting backlog, progression in this area of sponsorship still remains minimal.

Skilled Workers

This chart depicts the top challenges faced by immigrants upon arriving to Canada with finding a job ranked as number one.

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

The provincial nominee program is defined by the CIC as a program that dictates: "most provinces and territories in Canada can nominate immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These immigrants must have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy of that province or territory, and must want to live there."[9] However, in 2013 the points based system reduced the maximum points allowed from 21 to 15 points under the skilled workers category. What this pertains to is the lack of utility the Canadian economy has for the skills which immigrants bring with them. What lies at the heart of this issue is that many immigrants are qualified to perform and fill the vacancies of jobs in the Canadian workforce, however their credentials aren't recognized by educational institutions regulating labor market standards.[10] This has produced frustration in many immigrants looking to contribute towards the Canadian economy in the field of their training in which they were admitted by the CIC. In 2005, Statistics Canada reported that the most difficult task for immigrants in integrating to Canadian society was indeed finding an adequate job to sustain living in the host nation.[11]

Temporary foreign workers

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a program in place defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada as, "The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) [which] allows Canadian employers to hire foreign nationals to fill temporary labour and skill shortages when qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents are not available."[12] Unfortunately, exploitation of temporary foreign workers has immersed in the form of lower than average wages, poor quality standards provided by employers, and resentment from Canadians being potentially replaced by foreign workers willing to be employed at lower than average wages. This lack of protection for foreign temporary workers and legal entitlement for employers to pay lower than average wages has resulted in a hostile job market between Canadian resident workers and temporary foreign workers.[13]

Human Rights Concerning Caregivers

Caregivers protesting for permanent residency and equality of human rights.

Immigrants who arrive as caregivers (for the disabled, elderly, children, etc.) are eligible to apply for permanent residency after a 24 month probationary period, with the accumulation of 3900 working hours.[14] During this time period, caregivers face exploitation and abuse concerning work conditions, supplemented living conditions, tabulation of hours accumulated, and basic human rights. Many caregivers fall victim to these abusive conditions in fear of their employers (caregiving clientele) inappropriately documenting working hours, reporting "negligence" in terms of fulfilling employment duties to the CIC, and outright cancellation of employment.[15]Grassroots organizations like the Caregiver's Action Center continue to struggle to achieve equal rights for all immigrant care-givers as the following video depicts their fight with the Conservative Federal government in 2014.

Refugees/Asylum Seekers

Definition

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada defines a refugee as a person fearing prosecution for human rights related issues, and/or are unable to return to their country of origin. Refugees are also classified as asylum seekers under this context.[16]

Challenges Faced by Refugees

Refugees in Canada face challenges that differentiate from the other categories of immigrants as many come from backgrounds that produce a higher level of vulnerability when integrating into Canadian society. Issues surrounding language barriers, accessibility to employment, time spent with family, and processing times of immediate family members are consistent issues reflecting the socio-economic disadvantages this category of immigrants is characterized by.[17] Unfortunately, the financial support from the Canadian government is unsuitable to meet minimal standards of staying above the poverty line. Furthermore, the lack of economic assistance can be characterized by the hardships faced by refugees when seeking adequate healthcare, as many essential forms of coverage are not provided. This includes therapies for depression and PTSD (associated with why many immigrants seek refugee status), or basic medicines like insulin, are not available to refugees upon arrival.[18]These challenge compound the challenges immigrants face because refugees don't necessarily make the choice to immigrate. The following video depicts challenges concerning the 2015/2016 Syrian refugee crisis. Javier Barreto, founder of the Syrian refugee project explains how Syrian refugees are receiving less than 800$/month to provide for their housing and food.

Suggested Links on Canadian Immigration

Citizenship and Immigration Canada http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/

Canadian Immigration Newsletter/Updates http://www.cicnews.com/2016/02/citizenship-immigration-canada-cic-rebrands-immigration-refugees-citizenship-canada-ircc-027245.html

Caregiver's Action Center of Canada http://caregiversactioncentre.org/permanent-status-now/campaign-updates/

References

  1. ↑ "Canada, Citizenship Government of, Immigration Canada, and Communications Branch. Apply to immigrate to Canada. 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 6 Dec. 2016."
  2. ↑ "Kathryn, P. D., Escarce, J. J., & Lurie, N. (2007). Immigrants and health care: Sources of vulnerability. Health Affairs, 26(5), 1258-68. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/204641227?accountid=14656"
  3. ↑ "Collacott, Martin. “Canadian Family Class Immigration: The Parent and Grandparent Component Under Review.” Nov. 2013: n.pag. Print."
  4. ↑ "Collacott, Martin. “Canadian Family Class Immigration: The Parent and Grandparent Component Under Review.” Nov. 2013: n.pag. Print."
  5. ↑ "“Liberals will double annual number of applications for reunification of parents, grandparents.” News. CBC News, 8 Jan. 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  6. ↑ "Vanderplaat, M. & Ramos, H. & Yoshida, Y. "What do Sponsored Parents and Grandparents Contribute?" Canadian Ethnic Studies, vol. 44 no. 3, 2013, pp. 79-96. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/ces.2013.0006."
  7. ↑ "Canada, Citizenship Government of, Immigration Canada, and Communications Branch. Processing times. 29 Nov. 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  8. ↑ "“New dad fears Canadian permanent residency delays could force family apart.” News. CBC News, 15 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  9. ↑ "Canada, Citizenship Government of, Immigration Canada, and Communications Branch. Provincial nominees. 18 June 2015. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  10. ↑ "Anwar, Arif. "Canadian Immigration Policy: Micro and Macro Issues with the Points Based Assessment System." Canadian Ethnic Studies 46.1 (2014): 169-79. ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.
  11. ↑ "“Chart 4 greatest difficulties new immigrants faced since arriving in Canada (cited 4 years after arrival*).” Statistics Canada. 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  12. ↑ "Canada, Citizenship Government of, Immigration Canada, and Communications Branch. Fact sheet — temporary foreign worker program. 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  13. ↑ "Roberts, Sarah Elizabeth. "The Classifying Work of Immigration Policies in Canada: A Critical Analysis of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program and Access to Settlement Services." Order No. 1572315 University of Toronto (Canada), 2014. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 6 Dec. 2016."
  14. ↑ http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/caregiver/permanent_resident.asp#require
  15. ↑ "Atanackovic, J., and I.L. Bourgeault. 2014. Economic and Social Integration of Immigrant Live-in Caregivers in Canada. IRPP Study 46. Montreal: Institute for Research on Public Policy."
  16. ↑ "Canada, Citizenship Government of, Immigration Canada, and Communications Branch. Also in this topic. 2 Dec. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2016."
  17. ↑ "Stewart, M., Dennis, C. L., Kariwo, M., Kushner, K. E., Letourneau, N., Makumbe, K., . . . Shizha, E. (2015). Challenges faced by refugee new parents from africa in canada. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(4), 1146-1156. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0062-3
  18. ↑ "Olsen, C., El-Bialy, R., Mckelvie, M. et al. J Immigrant Minority Health (2016) 18: 58. doi:10.1007/s10903-014-9983-0"

or

Retrieved from "https://wiki.ubc.ca/index.php?title=The_Challenges_Surrounding_Immigration_Policy_In_Canada&oldid=433706"