an alliance of university, community, and government partners dedicated to fostering welcoming communities and promoting the integration of immigrants and minorities across Canada
The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Le nombre d’admissions d’aides familiaux résidants atteindra un niveau record en 2014
Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, a annoncé aujourd’hui de nouvelles mesures rigoureuses pour s’attaquer à la croissance de l’arriéré et à l’augmentation des délais de traitement des demandes dans le Programme des aides familiaux résidants (PAFR). […] Le Canada admettra, en 2014, 17 500 résidents permanents dans le cadre du Programme des aides familiaux résidants, ce qui représente presque le double des admissions de 2013 et constituera le nombre le plus élevé d’admissions en une année depuis la création de ce programme en 1993.
The Province – Salvadoran Refugee Sheltering in Langley Church “Can’t Believe it” After Winning Stay of Deportation Order
A Salvadoran refugee who has taken sanctuary in a Langley church for fear of being kicked out of Canada has been spared immediate deportation. […]Federal Court Judge Ron Hughes granted a temporary stay for Figueroa, who has been living in Canada for 16 years with his wife and three Canadian-born children. His lawyer, Peter Edelmann, had applied to hold off on the deportation until after a judicial review of the deportation order scheduled for Jan. 15. The family will ask the federal government to allow Figueroa to remain in Canada on compassionate or humanitarian grounds. […] Ottawa has denied Figueroa’s refugee claim because he once belonged to a rebel group called the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). The FMLN was a collection of five left-wing groups that fought against an oppressive right-wing state responsible for death-squad killings. After a UN-sponsored peace deal, the FMLN was elected and formed government. […] The CBSA, which enforces removal orders, is not bound by law to respect sanctuary, but in most cases abides by the tradition.
Net News Ledger – Northwestern Ontario Immigration Portal Re-Designed
The Northwestern Ontario Immigration Portal was first launched in 2010. Today, at the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association Immigration Forum, a new and completely re-deigned portal was unveiled. The new portal is designed to focus on connecting newcomers to Northwestern Ontario with the economic opportunities in the region. Rebecca Johnson stated, “People in Canada and abroad do not know about the wealth of opportunities in Northwestern Ontario. These new regional tools allow people to research and connect directly with job, employer and business opportunities through one central platform.”
Ottawa Citizen – First Direct Flight to Canada from Saudi Arabia Lands in Toronto
The first direct flight from Saudi Arabia landed Monday morning at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, becoming the fourth Gulf airline operating flights to Canada. […]The company says the Toronto flights will serve different groups of passengers, including Saudi students in Canada and Canadians who travel to the kingdom each year for hajj and umrah pilgrimages. […] According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, there were more than 14,000 Saudi students enrolled in Canadian educational institutions last year.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Live-In Caregiver Admissions to Reach All-Time High in 2014
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today announced aggressive new action to address the growing backlog and increasing processing times in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). […]Canada will admit 17,500 permanent residents through the Live-in Caregiver Program in 2014 – almost double the number this year. This represents the highest number of LCP admissions in a single year since the program began in 1993. Application backlogs and processing times have grown steadily in recent years. The number of caregivers completing their work obligations and becoming eligible for permanent residency has routinely outpaced the planned levels of admissions from the program.
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today pledged aggressive action to reunite more families in 2014. Alexander also announced that the backlog of Parent and Grandparent (PGP) program applications will be almost 50 percent lower by the end of 2013 than it was just two years ago. […]The PGP program will start accepting applications again in January with new eligibility criteria for sponsors and a cap of 5,000 applications per year. The cap is being put in place to allow for the elimination of the existing backlog and prevent future backlogs. More information, new application forms and instruction guides for the redesigned PGP program will be made available in the coming weeks.
