Foreign students in Canada should always be cautious, as there are many people from their own community that are ready, willing and able to target them for fraud. Beware of those who seem too solicitous and helpful and ask for personal information!
U-Pass fraudsters deported to China - British Columbia - CBC News
Showing posts with label Canada immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada immigration. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
CANADA: MAJOR REFUGEE REFORMS ANNOUNCED
TORIES TARGET FALSE REFUGEES
Immigration bill to hasten decisions, deportations
Norma Greenaway and David Akin, Canwest News Services
Vowing not to cave to the "enemies of reform," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney proposed $540-million worth of new measures yesterday to overhaul the system for dealing with refugee claims from foreigners who arrive on Canadian soil.
Mr. Kenney said the changes, once implemented, will cut the time it takes for a refugee claimant to get a hearing to two months from the current 19 and reduce to about two years from the average 4½ years the time it takes to evict a rejected applicant.
A total of $1.6-million of the new money has been earmarked for clearing the backlog of 60,000 asylum seekers.
"Our generosity is too often abused by false refugee claimants," Mr. Kenney told a news conference. "The system is full of opportunities for appeal, and we are streamlining that process."
The shorter timelines would be achieved by allowing trained public servants to make the first call on a refugee claim and limiting avenues of appeal currently open to those whose claims are rejected.
Mr. Kenney said the new limits on appeals are offset by the government's decision to create a new refugee appeal division, which would be charged with reviewing the first-level decision within four months and allowing new evidence to be submitted. Government appointees would staff the division.
One measure that already has refugee advocates, as well as some opposition politicians on high alert, would allow the immigration minister to designate a list of "safe" countries of origin.
Refugee claimants from those "safe" countries would not have the right to appeal to the new division. Their only recourse would be the Federal Court of Canada.
Mr. Kenney billed the safe country designation as a necessary tool to counter any spikes in refugee claims from democratic countries with a robust human rights record.
As it stands now, Mr. Kenney said, the government has to resort to imposing visa requirements when claims surge from individual countries, as it did last year for visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic, a tactic that, he said, can undermine diplomatic and commercial relations.
Mr. Kenney said the list of safe countries would be drawn up after receiving advice from an independent panel and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees.
New Democrat MP Olivia Chow embraced elements of the reform package that would speed hearing claims and deportations of failed claimants, but denounced the safe country idea as unfair.
"We want fair and fast," said Ms. Chow, the party's immigration critic.
Bloc Quebecois MP Thierry St-Cyr accused Mr. Kenney of sacrificing justice by allowing refugees to be judged based on their country of origin and creating two categories for people seeking asylum.
Janet Dench of the Refugee Council of Canada agreed.
"Refugee determination should be done on the individual facts of the case, not the country of origin," Ms. Dench said in an interview from Montreal.
Gloria Nafziger, refugee coordinator for Amnesty International, said the government was opening a political minefield with the safe country proposal.
"It's highly problematic," Ms. Nafziger said. "We are a human rights organization and we have never tried to rank countries by the depth of their human rights abuses."
Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua, the party's immigration critic, described the reform package as "a good start" and said he looks forward to more detailed study when it gets to committee.
Mr. Bevilacqua said Liberals want more information on how the safe countries will be selected, and assurances the money earmarked for such things as hiring more officers for the Canadian Border Service Agency to track down and oust failed refugee claimants from Canada will actually be used for that purpose.
The $540-million funding for the reforms--which will be spread over five years -- won't be tapped until the legislation becomes law, something that is not expected to happen until next year at the earliest.
Mr. Kenney said the savings will be substantial under the new process. It now costs about $50,000 in health and social service costs for each failed refugee claimant, a sum that should fall to about $29,000 under the new and speedier system, Mr. Kenney said.
Other elements of the package:
-Rejected claimants would have severely restricted access to the options of winning a reprieve on compassionate and humanitarian grounds, or on grounds they would be subjected to severe persecution and possibly death upon return to their native country.
-A four-year pilot project to encourage voluntary departure by rejected claimants that, among other things, would provide each participant with a plane ticket back to their country of origin, and provide $2,000 to a service provider in that country to facilitate the failed claimant's reintegration into that society.
-A public servant will help a refugee claimant gather all relevant information for an initial hearing before the refugee board within eight days of the claim being made. The current system gives a claimant 28 days to fill out a long form.
Immigration bill to hasten decisions, deportations
Norma Greenaway and David Akin, Canwest News Services
Vowing not to cave to the "enemies of reform," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney proposed $540-million worth of new measures yesterday to overhaul the system for dealing with refugee claims from foreigners who arrive on Canadian soil.
Mr. Kenney said the changes, once implemented, will cut the time it takes for a refugee claimant to get a hearing to two months from the current 19 and reduce to about two years from the average 4½ years the time it takes to evict a rejected applicant.
A total of $1.6-million of the new money has been earmarked for clearing the backlog of 60,000 asylum seekers.
"Our generosity is too often abused by false refugee claimants," Mr. Kenney told a news conference. "The system is full of opportunities for appeal, and we are streamlining that process."
The shorter timelines would be achieved by allowing trained public servants to make the first call on a refugee claim and limiting avenues of appeal currently open to those whose claims are rejected.
Mr. Kenney said the new limits on appeals are offset by the government's decision to create a new refugee appeal division, which would be charged with reviewing the first-level decision within four months and allowing new evidence to be submitted. Government appointees would staff the division.
One measure that already has refugee advocates, as well as some opposition politicians on high alert, would allow the immigration minister to designate a list of "safe" countries of origin.
Refugee claimants from those "safe" countries would not have the right to appeal to the new division. Their only recourse would be the Federal Court of Canada.
Mr. Kenney billed the safe country designation as a necessary tool to counter any spikes in refugee claims from democratic countries with a robust human rights record.
As it stands now, Mr. Kenney said, the government has to resort to imposing visa requirements when claims surge from individual countries, as it did last year for visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic, a tactic that, he said, can undermine diplomatic and commercial relations.
Mr. Kenney said the list of safe countries would be drawn up after receiving advice from an independent panel and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees.
New Democrat MP Olivia Chow embraced elements of the reform package that would speed hearing claims and deportations of failed claimants, but denounced the safe country idea as unfair.
"We want fair and fast," said Ms. Chow, the party's immigration critic.
Bloc Quebecois MP Thierry St-Cyr accused Mr. Kenney of sacrificing justice by allowing refugees to be judged based on their country of origin and creating two categories for people seeking asylum.
Janet Dench of the Refugee Council of Canada agreed.
"Refugee determination should be done on the individual facts of the case, not the country of origin," Ms. Dench said in an interview from Montreal.
Gloria Nafziger, refugee coordinator for Amnesty International, said the government was opening a political minefield with the safe country proposal.
"It's highly problematic," Ms. Nafziger said. "We are a human rights organization and we have never tried to rank countries by the depth of their human rights abuses."
Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua, the party's immigration critic, described the reform package as "a good start" and said he looks forward to more detailed study when it gets to committee.
Mr. Bevilacqua said Liberals want more information on how the safe countries will be selected, and assurances the money earmarked for such things as hiring more officers for the Canadian Border Service Agency to track down and oust failed refugee claimants from Canada will actually be used for that purpose.
The $540-million funding for the reforms--which will be spread over five years -- won't be tapped until the legislation becomes law, something that is not expected to happen until next year at the earliest.
Mr. Kenney said the savings will be substantial under the new process. It now costs about $50,000 in health and social service costs for each failed refugee claimant, a sum that should fall to about $29,000 under the new and speedier system, Mr. Kenney said.
Other elements of the package:
-Rejected claimants would have severely restricted access to the options of winning a reprieve on compassionate and humanitarian grounds, or on grounds they would be subjected to severe persecution and possibly death upon return to their native country.
-A four-year pilot project to encourage voluntary departure by rejected claimants that, among other things, would provide each participant with a plane ticket back to their country of origin, and provide $2,000 to a service provider in that country to facilitate the failed claimant's reintegration into that society.
-A public servant will help a refugee claimant gather all relevant information for an initial hearing before the refugee board within eight days of the claim being made. The current system gives a claimant 28 days to fill out a long form.
Monday, March 8, 2010
CANADA: REFUGEE REFORM POLITICALLY DIFFICULT
This story appeared in today's Globe and Mail newspaper as a result of last week's Budget. While everyone agrees that the refugee determination system is broken beyond repair, reform is proving difficult, as the minority Tory government appears unwilling to tackle this politically charged problem. Readers are left to wonder if any government would ever be willing to take on this thorny problem, since there has been talk of reform for at least 20 years, but nothing has ever been accomplished, and previous band-aid solutions have in fact made the system worse.
Tories' commitment to refugee reforms questioned - The Globe and Mail
March 8, 2010
Tories' commitment to refugee reforms questioned
By CAMPBELL CLARK
From Monday's Globe and Mail
The Conservatives have mustered the courage to promise a potentially controversial reform to Canada's refugee system. The Liberals have signalled a willingness to support it. Now the question is whether the government will spend the money to close the deal.For almost a year, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has been arguing that change is needed so asylum-seekers will get faster decisions, and false claimants will be discouraged from trying to stay in Canada for years. Wednesday's Throne Speech promised those reforms will go ahead.But on Thursday, the federal budget provided no funding for the changes, and Liberals who had offered to work with the government on the issue, now say they don't believe the Tories are serious."The system is broken. Everybody agrees," Liberal immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua said. "The challenge we're facing with the Conservatives is they've made the announcement they want to have reform, but they obviously have not given the reform the resources it requires to bring it to fruition."He said it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to clear out backlogs and revamp the system, and the government can't go ahead without it."I'm willing to work with the minister, and I have for months and months," Mr. Bevilacqua said. "But I have to feel there is a sincerity as well as the money available to get the job done."Critics of the refugee-determination system are legion, although there's wide disagreement on how it should be fixed. It has made governments reluctant to make changes, because any reform will spark criticism.But Canada has angered countries like Mexico and the Czech Republic by slapping visitor-visa requirements on their nationals, in order to stem a flow of refugee claimants, many of whom are rejected.Mr. Kenney has yet to release details of his proposed reforms, but some elements have emerged.The Conservatives are expected to try to speed the initial decision on asylum-seekers by having it done by a public servant, rather than a quasi-judicial panel of the Immigration and Refugee Board. That, it is hoped, will help streamline acceptance on the most obviously justified claims and refusal of the flimsiest. Those decisions could be appealed to a panel similar to the existing Immigration and Refugee Board.The question of which public servants would make that initial decision is key. Refugee advocates argue that if it is handed to Immigration Department or Border Services officers they could be swayed by government direction, rather than the facts of the case, while officials working within the scope of the IRB might have more independence.The government is considering another idea, creating a list of countries considered safe, like most European nations, and creating a process that would speed decisions on claims from such countries, because most are rejected. Mr. Kenney has floated such suggestions since his earliest days in the Immigration portfolio.
Tories' commitment to refugee reforms questioned - The Globe and Mail
March 8, 2010
Tories' commitment to refugee reforms questioned
By CAMPBELL CLARK
From Monday's Globe and Mail
The Conservatives have mustered the courage to promise a potentially controversial reform to Canada's refugee system. The Liberals have signalled a willingness to support it. Now the question is whether the government will spend the money to close the deal.For almost a year, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has been arguing that change is needed so asylum-seekers will get faster decisions, and false claimants will be discouraged from trying to stay in Canada for years. Wednesday's Throne Speech promised those reforms will go ahead.But on Thursday, the federal budget provided no funding for the changes, and Liberals who had offered to work with the government on the issue, now say they don't believe the Tories are serious."The system is broken. Everybody agrees," Liberal immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua said. "The challenge we're facing with the Conservatives is they've made the announcement they want to have reform, but they obviously have not given the reform the resources it requires to bring it to fruition."He said it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to clear out backlogs and revamp the system, and the government can't go ahead without it."I'm willing to work with the minister, and I have for months and months," Mr. Bevilacqua said. "But I have to feel there is a sincerity as well as the money available to get the job done."Critics of the refugee-determination system are legion, although there's wide disagreement on how it should be fixed. It has made governments reluctant to make changes, because any reform will spark criticism.But Canada has angered countries like Mexico and the Czech Republic by slapping visitor-visa requirements on their nationals, in order to stem a flow of refugee claimants, many of whom are rejected.Mr. Kenney has yet to release details of his proposed reforms, but some elements have emerged.The Conservatives are expected to try to speed the initial decision on asylum-seekers by having it done by a public servant, rather than a quasi-judicial panel of the Immigration and Refugee Board. That, it is hoped, will help streamline acceptance on the most obviously justified claims and refusal of the flimsiest. Those decisions could be appealed to a panel similar to the existing Immigration and Refugee Board.The question of which public servants would make that initial decision is key. Refugee advocates argue that if it is handed to Immigration Department or Border Services officers they could be swayed by government direction, rather than the facts of the case, while officials working within the scope of the IRB might have more independence.The government is considering another idea, creating a list of countries considered safe, like most European nations, and creating a process that would speed decisions on claims from such countries, because most are rejected. Mr. Kenney has floated such suggestions since his earliest days in the Immigration portfolio.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
CANADA: OLYMPICS AND REFUGEES
The Wall Street Journal published the article below. The story is a familiar one: Canada hosts an international event, and a spike in "refugee" claims follow. If the event would have been the Summer Olympics instead of the Winter ones, the number of "claims" could have easily been in the thousands. Countries participating in the Winter games are typically not refugee-producing.Yesterday, the government released its Throne Speech, and promised reforms to the maligned refugee determination system. I think we will get more details in the Budget today.
Olympics Bring Asylum-Seekers to Canada - WSJ.com
Olympics Draw Refugees
By PHRED DVORAK
The Vancouver Olympics has had one curious byproduct: refugees. Canada has received seven requests for asylum from foreign Olympics spectators so far—including two from Japan, one from Russia and four from Hungary. If past trends are any indication, that number could increase.The flurry of asylum applicants underscores Canada's reputation as an easy place to ask for refuge: Nearly anyone can do it, as long as they have entered the country and haven't been identified as an international security risk.That ease has prompted a surge in asylum applications in recent years, from a list of countries that include Mexico, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Canada received nearly 34,000 requests for asylum in the past year, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board. Some 61,000 such applications were pending as of the end of December, the highest ever under the current system.Asylum seekers generally apply under the standard definition of a refugee as laid out by the United Nations, meaning they fear persecution at home based on factors such as race, religion, politics or membership in a persecuted group, often gays or lesbians.Those who can't prove they are truly in danger of persecution are sent home—as some 60% of applicants have been in recent years. But applicants are allowed to stay in Canada, with full benefits, until they get a hearing, which could take years.Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said on a Canadian politics television show Tuesday: "It is a pretty obvious signal to people that they can come make a claim, get welfare benefits, get a work permit, stay here sometimes for years, and try to get permanent residency.''Canada has tried to stem the rush by making it harder for citizens of top refugee producers to get in. In July, Citizenship and Immigration Canada started requiring visas for travelers from Mexico, which ranked No. 1 last year with 9,296 asylum requests. (It has a 9% acceptance rate.) Mexico slapped visa requirements on Canadian diplomats and officials in return.The same month, Canada reimposed a visa requirement on then-No. 2-ranked Czech Republic, noting that nearly 3,000 refugee claims had been filed by Czech nationals in the roughly two years during which visas hadn't been required.International sporting events have been magnets for refugee claims. Canada received 1,390 refugee claims associated with the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, and 1,592 from the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa and Gatineau, Quebec, said Johanne Nadeau, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Olympics Bring Asylum-Seekers to Canada - WSJ.com
Olympics Draw Refugees
By PHRED DVORAK
The Vancouver Olympics has had one curious byproduct: refugees. Canada has received seven requests for asylum from foreign Olympics spectators so far—including two from Japan, one from Russia and four from Hungary. If past trends are any indication, that number could increase.The flurry of asylum applicants underscores Canada's reputation as an easy place to ask for refuge: Nearly anyone can do it, as long as they have entered the country and haven't been identified as an international security risk.That ease has prompted a surge in asylum applications in recent years, from a list of countries that include Mexico, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Canada received nearly 34,000 requests for asylum in the past year, according to the Immigration and Refugee Board. Some 61,000 such applications were pending as of the end of December, the highest ever under the current system.Asylum seekers generally apply under the standard definition of a refugee as laid out by the United Nations, meaning they fear persecution at home based on factors such as race, religion, politics or membership in a persecuted group, often gays or lesbians.Those who can't prove they are truly in danger of persecution are sent home—as some 60% of applicants have been in recent years. But applicants are allowed to stay in Canada, with full benefits, until they get a hearing, which could take years.Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said on a Canadian politics television show Tuesday: "It is a pretty obvious signal to people that they can come make a claim, get welfare benefits, get a work permit, stay here sometimes for years, and try to get permanent residency.''Canada has tried to stem the rush by making it harder for citizens of top refugee producers to get in. In July, Citizenship and Immigration Canada started requiring visas for travelers from Mexico, which ranked No. 1 last year with 9,296 asylum requests. (It has a 9% acceptance rate.) Mexico slapped visa requirements on Canadian diplomats and officials in return.The same month, Canada reimposed a visa requirement on then-No. 2-ranked Czech Republic, noting that nearly 3,000 refugee claims had been filed by Czech nationals in the roughly two years during which visas hadn't been required.International sporting events have been magnets for refugee claims. Canada received 1,390 refugee claims associated with the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, and 1,592 from the 2001 Francophone Games in Ottawa and Gatineau, Quebec, said Johanne Nadeau, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
CANADA MAY RESTRICT IMMIGRATION TO DEAL WITH DOWNTURN
Canada on track for permanent resident targets
Updated Wed. Feb. 11 2009 6:43 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canada's rising unemployment rate likely will not affect the government's goal to accept up to 265,000 permanent residents this year, according to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
"For 2009, we're planning on maintaining at an even level our intake of permanent resident immigrants," Kenney told CTV's Power Play Wednesday.
"Last year, we brought in 247,000 permanent residents," he added. "And we anticipate and hope that it will be in the same range. Having said that, obviously the economy is very dynamic, it's moving a lot, and this may have unperceivable consequences for the immigration program."
Immigrants searching for employment may have a more difficult time. The economy lost 129,000 jobs in January, most of them full-time positions, according to Statistics Canada. That's the biggest monthly decline in three decades.
It pushed the country's unemployment rate up slightly more than half a percentage point to 7.2 per cent.
Canada's manufacturing sector was the hardest hit, with a net drop of 101,000 jobs -- the largest monthly decline ever recorded.
But Ottawa still hopes to accept between 240,000 and 265,000 permanent residents this year. Of that number, up to 156,600 would be in the economic class, 71,000 in the family class and 27,200 in the protected persons class, which includes refugees. Another 10,200 would be accepted under humanitarian grounds.
Kenney said it's difficult to give a "precise prediction" for the end of the year, but did say he expects a reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada.
"Those are folks who tend to come here for one to two years on short-term contracts to fill jobs that employers have been unable to find Canadians for," he said. "That side of the immigration program we anticipate will see much less demand."
He also said his Department has made plans to cope with any influx of economic refugees, which can "gum up" the system as people who face actual violent persecution try to get into the country.
Canada has a precise definition of a refugee: it must be someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, political opinion, sexual orientation, nationality or membership in a particular social group.
"I do intend to look at ways that we can reform our so-called in-country refugee system," he said. "We want to make sure people don't come here and try to jump the queue. They have to wait to come in as legal economic immigrants."
Updated Wed. Feb. 11 2009 6:43 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canada's rising unemployment rate likely will not affect the government's goal to accept up to 265,000 permanent residents this year, according to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.
"For 2009, we're planning on maintaining at an even level our intake of permanent resident immigrants," Kenney told CTV's Power Play Wednesday.
"Last year, we brought in 247,000 permanent residents," he added. "And we anticipate and hope that it will be in the same range. Having said that, obviously the economy is very dynamic, it's moving a lot, and this may have unperceivable consequences for the immigration program."
Immigrants searching for employment may have a more difficult time. The economy lost 129,000 jobs in January, most of them full-time positions, according to Statistics Canada. That's the biggest monthly decline in three decades.
It pushed the country's unemployment rate up slightly more than half a percentage point to 7.2 per cent.
Canada's manufacturing sector was the hardest hit, with a net drop of 101,000 jobs -- the largest monthly decline ever recorded.
But Ottawa still hopes to accept between 240,000 and 265,000 permanent residents this year. Of that number, up to 156,600 would be in the economic class, 71,000 in the family class and 27,200 in the protected persons class, which includes refugees. Another 10,200 would be accepted under humanitarian grounds.
Kenney said it's difficult to give a "precise prediction" for the end of the year, but did say he expects a reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada.
"Those are folks who tend to come here for one to two years on short-term contracts to fill jobs that employers have been unable to find Canadians for," he said. "That side of the immigration program we anticipate will see much less demand."
He also said his Department has made plans to cope with any influx of economic refugees, which can "gum up" the system as people who face actual violent persecution try to get into the country.
Canada has a precise definition of a refugee: it must be someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, political opinion, sexual orientation, nationality or membership in a particular social group.
"I do intend to look at ways that we can reform our so-called in-country refugee system," he said. "We want to make sure people don't come here and try to jump the queue. They have to wait to come in as legal economic immigrants."
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