Nick Noorani Website

Bill C-50 targets immigrants from India and Pakistan with the lowest quotas. Lexbase, the country’s leading immigration law periodical run by Vancouver-based lawyer Richard Kurland reviewed the inventory of all overseas economic class permanent residence applications as of April 4, 2008, and was astonished to discover that there are a whopping 145,556 people in the queue in New Delhi, but the 2008 target allows for only 9,245 visas.
Which means that it would take more than 15 years for these visas to be processed, provided, of course, that no new applications came in!
In the case of Pakistan, the wait list is nearly 43,000 and a quota of just 3,600 — a wait list of 12 years!

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Some visible minority managers believe they have to shed their culture and even their accent to succeed in the Canadian workplace, according to results of a study to be released Wednesday.
The study by Catalyst, an international organization that works to advance opportunities for women in business, is based largely on 19 focus groups involving managers, professionals and executives at companies across Canada.
Some East Asian and South Asians participants – particularly those born outside of Canada – said they believe they need to “Canadianize” in order to get ahead.
Don Butler
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
OTTAWA

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A controversial Indian company company has been authorized to provide clerical support for the processing of Canadian immigration visas in China, a move that immigration experts in this country say could put sensitive information about applicants in the hands of the Chinese government.
VFS Global, an international company based in India, has been authorized to take applications for all categories of temporary visas at its Canada Visa Application Centres in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. Its website indicates it will also help process permanent travel documents.
VFS has been accused of breaching security of applicants in UK. A security breach was first reported by an Indian applicant in December 2005 after which no effective remedial action was taken by either VFS nor UKvisas, the joint Home Office and Foreign & Commonwealth Office unit which runs the UK’s visa service through British diplomatic Posts overseas. The same applicant went public in May 2007 after he noticed that his earlier warnings were ignored. It is estimated that this security breach has resulted in approximately 50,000 applicant’s identities having been possibly compromised until its subsequent closure in May 2007 following the media outcry.

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The Vision Vancouver mayoral-nomination race demonstrated that when upper middle-class Caucasians get their friends to participate in a party nomination race, it’s called “democracy”.
But when people with darker skin colours do the same, it’s sometimes painted in a more sinister light.
Instead of democracy, you’ll hear people mutter terms like “herding” or “temple politics”.
Nobody will be quoted saying this in 2008, but these are the words some people use in private conversations. This must end.
By Charlie Smith

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Every Canadian generation seems destined to face the same excruciating decision: Should we search the world for workers or for citizens?
Since the 1960s, the standard answer has been that Canada’s immigration policy is about choosing citizens. People from around the world compete for 260,000 spots annually and are chosen through a points scheme that ranks their abilities to fit into the Canadian way of life. After three years of on-the-job training, they can become citizens.
In the process, it is hoped the newcomers will help fill holes in the job market. But, over time, it is expected their real job would be to become traditional Canadians: to shop, vote, pay taxes, respect the law and, through their participation in Canadian life, become just like other citizens. Job No. 1 is to be a good citizen.
CECIL FOSTER
From Thursday’s Globe and Mail
June 19, 2008 at 7:58 AM EDT

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Indo-Canadians will be the number one group taking the hit under Bill C-50, says well-known immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.
Lexbase, the country’s leading immigration publication run by Kurland, reviewed the inventory of all overseas Economic Class permanent residence applications as of April 4, 2008, and was astonished to discover that there are a whopping 145,556 people in the queue in New Delhi, but that the 2008 target allows for only 9,245 visas.
Comparing the 2008 target of 9,245 visas with a queue of 145,556 people, the queue in New Delhi measures 15 years.
By Rattan Mall

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