14 May Canada’s Immigration Minister celebrates Citizenship Week
Canada’s Immigration Minister celebrates Citizenship Week
On May 13, 2024, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller marked the start of Citizenship Week. This week invites reflection on Canadian identity, diversity, rights, and responsibilities, including the significance of Indigenous Peoples’ history and role. The minister will attend citizenship ceremonies nationwide, welcoming new citizens and visiting organizations that assist newcomers. Between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, Canada welcomed 393,500 new citizens, with citizenship applications now processed faster. The immigration minister invited everyone to celebrate citizenship by reflecting on what it means and getting involved in their communities.
IRCC, #Marc_Miller, #Canadian_citizenship, #Citizenship_week
Ontario’s PAL allocation favours colleges over universities
Ontario’s PAL allocation heavily favours colleges over universities, securing 84% of the share, leaving universities with only 16%. Seneca College leads with 20,388 allocations, while larger institutions like the University of Toronto and York University receive significantly fewer (around 6,356 and 5,032, respectively). Concerns arise over this approach’s impact on international education trends, with experts like Earl Blaney questioning its effectiveness. In contrast, Nova Scotia’s allocation is more evenly distributed among universities, colleges, and language schools. The University of Prince Edward Island receives the majority of allocations on Prince Edward Island.
PAL, #Ontario, #universities, #colleges #study_in_Canada, #study_permits, #study_permit_allocation
Canada excels in the global competition for top talent
According to Policy Options, Canada competes to attract global talent as mobility increases post-pandemic. The World Economic Forum predicts 4% of the world’s population will relocate by 2030. Skilled workers target countries offering a better quality of life, and economies need this talent due to population stagnation. The Global Consulting Group states that 23% of the global active labour force, around 800 million professionals, seek work abroad. Job quality, life quality, and health are top reasons for relocation. Countries desire top scientists, engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, and innovators. A BCG analysis showed Australia as the top choice in 2023, up from seventh in 2014. Canada remains among the top three from 2014 to 2023 due to its strong economy, high living standards, excellent healthcare, and welcoming immigration policies.
Immigration_to_Canada, #global_talent, #skilled_workers
Immigrant families in Canada are more likely to own homes
A 2021 Statistics Canada study reveals that immigrants, particularly in big cities, are more likely to co-own homes with their adult children than other Canadians. Around half of the co-owning parents were immigrants, a trend more evident in higher-priced metropolitan areas with higher immigrant populations. In Toronto and Vancouver, over 75% of co-owning parents were immigrants. Immigrants tend to place greater importance on home ownership and allocate more financial resources towards it. High-ratio properties, where property value exceeds 30 times the owner’s income, were more commonly owned by first-generation immigrant children.
Statistics_Canada, #statistics, #home_ownership, #immigrant_families
The Federal Government drafts legislation to restore the citizenship rights of ‘lost Canadians’
Ottawa is drafting a bill to restore citizenship rights for “lost Canadians,” following an Ontario court ruling against denying citizenship to children born overseas and Canadians born abroad. The proposed bill would mandate a Canadian parent born abroad to show significant ties to Canada and pass citizenship to a child born outside the country. This reverses a 2009 law that removed automatic citizenship for children of a Canadian parent born overseas. The change led to some Canadians working abroad being denied the right to pass on their citizenship, and some border babies and indigenous children born in communities on the border not qualifying for Canadian passports. The government has until June 19 to act after Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice ruled it unconstitutional to deny Canadians born abroad the right to pass on citizenship to their foreign-born children.