Immigration Canada

Stats released from CIC for sponsorship rejection

The Toronto Star has an interesting story on the inconsistent rates of rejection among CIC foreign offices for spousal sponsorship. 

CIC website change gets noticed in the press

The Canadian Press is reporting that a web link documenting the acceptance by Canada of American deserters during the Vietnam war in the 60's & 70's has been removed from the Citizenship & Immigration Canada website. 

The information was removed, some say, because of the government's recent change in policy refusing asylum to American war deserters. 

Since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, close to 25,000 American have deserted the army. A handful have entered Canada and are seeking asylum. 

Canada may reimpose visa control on Czechs

According to a report in Canada's Globe & Mail newspaper, the government of Canada is considering imposing visa restrictions on citizens of the Czech Republic  to curb the flow of Roma migrants arriving in Canada by the hundreds each month seeking refugee status. 

Immigration minister Jason Kenney, who was in Prague this week, is quoted as having said that the increase in asylum seekers is a concern for Canada and that the Czech Republic was not an island of persecution in Europe. 

Sex offender from Iran allowed to remain in Canada

Today the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada decided that Farid Noedost, a convicted drug trafficker, fraudster and sex offender from Iran, could remain in Canada for now because of fears Noedost had that he would be killed if deported to Iran. 

Immigrant claimants challenge application fees

A handful of immigrant claimants in Ontario are challenging the $550 application fee for applying to remain in the country on humanitarian and compassionate grounds according to a report from the Toronto Star. There are approximately 8,000 humanitarian applications in Canada each year. The decision is before the Federal Court and a decision on the matter will be rendered in several months. 

Canadian council for refugees seeking automatic refugee appeals

According to a news report in the Toronto Sun, the Canadian Council for Refugees is pushing for legislation that would guarantee an automatic appeal for failed refugee claimants in Canada. The proposed Bill C-291 is before a Parliament standing committee. If passed, it would guarantee an appeal for unsuccessful refugees before they are deported from the country.

The legislation would cost Canadians a whopping $94 million a year. That's because, according to the news report, there are 20,000 refugees claimants per year who are refused by Canada and each claim cost Canadians $4,700 to process. 

The CCR also wants CIC to forgive the outstanding $37 million in travel and medical loans given to refugees who settled in Canada. 

World refugee day in Canada

Today is World Refugee Day. 

In Canada, World Refugee Day was marked with a news announcement by the federal government that it has paid for the preparation of a video highlighting the experience of one refugee family who spent 16 years at the Mae La Oon refugee camp before settling in Canada. It's an interesting video but it's not very helpful to refugees. I would rather see the government spend money producing a video that gives refugees some useful information on successfully applying for refugee status in this country. Better yet, a video that simply highlights the fact that there is a World Refugee Day would be more helpful to raise awareness in this country, like the one Angelina Jolie produced for UNHCR.

Canada's refugee help, however, should not be minimized. According to the UNHCR, Canada (with the US) accepts the largest number of refugees worldwide. Each year, Canada accepts 30,000 refugees. 

Canada introduces law to prevent exploitation of foreign workers

The Canadian government has introduced an amendment to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow immigration officers to deny work permits to foreign workers in certain work categories such as nannies or strippers to prevent their possible victimization in Canada. 

Document Errors at Citizenship & Immigration Canada

According to a report today in the Toronto Star, Citizenship & Immigration Canada employees are making an increasing number of mistakes on immigration documents such as incorrect names, gender or employers. Immigration offices in the west such as Vancouver appear to be more susceptible to the errors. The type of documents involves tend to be applications for temporary residents including work and student visas. You can read the full story here.

Digital fingerprints may be needed to enter Canada in the future

Canada's deputy minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Richard Fadden, indicated that new rules requiring digital fingerprints and face scanning at foreign visa offices may apply to all visitors in the near future, beginning with countries that pose the greatest security risk to Canada. The new policy could start as early as 2011 and would apply to visas for traveling, working or studying in Canada. 

The program has already been tested at Canadian foreign visa offices and was found to be effective in combating immigration fraud. The fingerprinting and face scanning process has helped identify people who were refused a visa to enter Canada who later applied at the Canadian border as refugee claimants without the requisite documentation. 

However, the plan will have to be vetted by the Canadian federal privacy commissioner. Despite this, national security interests will dictate whether the proposal is implemented, despite privacy concerns. 

Canada increases immigration screening for Sri Lanka

According to a report in the Globe & Mail today, Canada is boosting its immigration screening in Sri Lanka to prevent the entry into Canada of Tamil Tiger terrorists. Immigration applicants from Sri Lanka with ties to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam will trigger an in-depth review by immigration officials. There is already a large back-log of immigration applications there and this will certainly slow down the process more. 

Canadian government to crack down on bogus immigration consultants

The immigration minister announced today that the Canadian government intends to crack down on what it calls the widespread and deliberate immigration fraud being committed by bogus immigration consultants operating in foreign countries. 

According to the minister, unregulated immigration consultants who fraudulently claim to be Canadian immigration agents are charging thousands of dollars to foreigners for bogus immigration advice. The government plans to implement new rules regarding the providing of immigration advice to foreigners to curb the problem. 

Legitimate immigration consultants are lawyers who are members in good standing with a provincial law society or registered members of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, who although not lawyers, are regulated and may provide consulting (but not legal) advice to applicants. 

The Canadian government cannot enforce against foreign consultants operating illegally overseas but it intends to seek the assistant of foreign governments for enforcement within key countries where the practice of bogus immigration consulting in widespread. 

Vancouver - One of the most livable cities in the world

The Economist has ranked Vancouver as the most livable city in the world. Not surprising! According to the article, Vienna scored second in the report with a close overall score of 97.9 points compared with Vancouver's overall score of 98.0. 

Iranian refugee deported to Iran

The Canadian Border Agency announced today that a former member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Seyed Amin Hoseyni Bob Anari, was deported from Canada because of his role in committing crimes against humanity. 

Mr. Anari arrived in Canada in 2004 and settled in Vancouver. He sought refugee status in Canada. The Immigration and Refugee Board rejected his claim in June 2007, finding that as a member of the Revolutionary Guard he was complicit in crimes against humanity and therefore ineligible for refugee protection. His application for judicial review was denied. At a subsequent hearing for his removal from Canada, he alleged that he would be arrested upon his return to Iran, tortured and possibly executed. 

A federal court upheld an immigration officer's decision to have him removed, despite the possibility that he may face some mistreatment upon his return to Iran. The officer did not agree that he would face unusual treatment or that his life would be in danger in Iran. 

Ex-KGB officer ordered out of Canada

A former officer with the Soviet KGB intelligence service, Mikhail Lennikov, sought sanctuary in a Vancouver church today after being ordered deported from Canada when his appeal was denied. 

Mr. Lennikov arrived in Canada in 1997 after he quit the KGB. When his family applied for permanent residence, he was deemed to be a security rick and he and his family were ordered deported. His wife and son were subsequently granted permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.