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 – Protéger le système canadien d’octroi de l’asile contre les abus
Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, a annoncé aujourd’hui que l’Andorre, le Liechtenstein, Monaco, la Roumanie et Saint-Marin seront ajoutés à la liste des pays d’origine désignés (POD) du Canada le 10 octobre 2014. La politique canadienne sur les POD cherche à décourager les personnes originaires de pays qui respectent les droits de la personne, qui offrent une protection de l’État et qui ne sont habituellement pas sources de réfugiés d’abuser du généreux système de protection des réfugiés du Canada. La récente série de réformes de l’immigration mises en œuvre par le gouvernement fait en sorte que les personnes qui ont véritablement besoin d’une protection du Canada l’obtiennent plus vite, tandis que celles dont la demande d’asile est infondée sont renvoyées plus rapidement chez elles grâce au traitement accéléré des demandes.
Hamilton Spectator – YWCA Program a Bridge to Jobs for New Canadians
You’d think that Tina Dolatzadeh, an engineering graduate from a top university in Iran, would have no trouble landing a job in her new home of Canada. Same with John Felarca, who came from the Philippines, and Johnathan Farrel, who is from Israel. Felarca has a master’s in electrical engineering from a Manila-area university and Farrel has a mechanical engineering degree from a university down the highway from Jerusalem. But trouble they had. With no Canadian experience, they found employers reluctant to hire them. […] Then the trio found the Bridging to Employment program, run by the YWCA Hamilton in partnership with Mohawk College. […] The trio received skills upgrading, job search and career development from the two-year-old program and have managed to land jobs in their fields. They were part of a group of 77 people from eight countries who graduated from the program Wednesday night at Mohawk. Other grads came from countries such as Colombia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Moldova and Sudan. Last year’s class had 40 graduates. While the program gave them the ability to upgrade their professional skills, Dolatzadeh, Felarca and Farrel said the biggest thing they learned was about resumés, cover letters, interview skills and understanding the culture of the Canadian workplace.
Toronto Star – Foreign Nannies Fear Losing Their Pathway to Permanent Status
Anticipating drastic changes to the federal government’s live-in caregiver program, advocates are demanding that Ottawa begin granting permanent status to foreign nannies as soon as they arrive. On Thursday, live-in caregiver groups across Canada held simultaneous news conferences to reveal the federal government’s “confidential” plan, based on notes from participants made at closed-door consultations hosted by Immigration Minister Chris Alexander over the summer. Advocates said people attending the consultations were offered a carrot in lieu of automatic permanent residency: making the live-in requirement optional and allowing nannies to work part-time so as to be able to attend classes and upgrade their skills. […] Columbia Coco Diaz, who was at one of the meetings, said Express Entry is directed at high-skilled workers, and that live-in caregivers, usually deemed “low-skilled,” will have to possess higher education and language proficiency to qualify and compete for the limited spots. “With Express Entry, would it be faster for the caregivers to come here, or would it be faster for them to be classified as not qualified and be removed from the country?” asked Diaz, a former live-in caregiver who has been advocating for their rights since the 1980s.
CBC – Express Entry System Floated as Government’s Fix to Live-In Caregiver Woes
Groups representing live-in caregivers say Immigration Minister Chris Alexander is considering moving the foreign caregiver program over to its new express entry immigration system, as he seeks input from various stakeholders ahead of much-anticipated reforms. […] Manuela Gruber Hersch, president of the Association of Caregiver & Nanny Agencies Canada, said Alexander floated the idea during a consultation meeting she attended in Vancouver this July. Gruber Hersch has been critical of earlier reforms brought to the program by Jason Kenney, Alexander’s predecessor, and more recently with the $1,000 fee Kenney imposed on employers looking to hire foreign workers, which also applies to Canadian families looking for foreign caregivers and nannies. […] Live-in caregiver groups are concerned the move will make it harder for new caregivers to come to Canada while making it more difficult for those already here to obtain permanent residency. They are also concerned the move to express entry would fail to address a large backlog of caregivers still waiting to come to Canada or awaiting residency.
Globe and Mail – Top Court to Give New Scrutiny to Human Smuggling Cases
The Supreme Court said Thursday it plans to look at a number of cases calling into question the depth and breadth of Canada’s human smuggling laws. Four of the five cases the court will consider together involve people connected to the arrival of ships full of Sri Lankan migrants off the coast of B.C. […] Those who worked on the ships were arrested and charged as human smugglers. Those charges, along with the subsequent immigration proceedings, are what will be examined by the high court. In three cases, the people claim they were forced to work on the ships after they were abandoned by the original crew, and as a result should not have been caught up under existing laws. In a fourth case, four crew members argued that Canada’s human smuggling laws are simply too broad, and could result in humanitarian workers or even family members being charged for helping those in need. The B.C. Supreme Court agreed, but that decision was overturned on appeal.
Toronto Star – Migrant Deaths Could Rise, UN Warns Europe
The UN refugee agency on Wednesday said it was urging the European Union to overhaul its policy toward Syrian refugees, warning the number of fatal accidents at sea could rise further as winter approaches. UN officials, presenting their proposals in Athens, said more than 3,000 asylum seekers had died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year. They urged the EU to provide ports for reception and to process asylum applications across member states. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, also urged the 28-nation bloc to provide emergency financial assistance to Greece, Italy and Malta to deal with the soaring number of illegal sea crossings. […] Greece is a major transit point for illegal immigration in Europe with dozens of islands near Turkey’s coast. Syrian asylum seekers reaching Greece are often crammed into temporary shelters in school buildings and churches. […] UNHCR said should be given to helping Greece’s newly-created Primary Reception Centers aimed at fast tracking asylum applications and run under a civilian authority from the Public Order Ministry.
