Nick Noorani Website

Immigrant and temporary migrants have become increasingly important to population growth and to Canada’s economy. Canadians are grateful for the contributions of workers from abroad, and have established a vast network of settlement services to help them feel at home. A recent HSBC survey has given Canada the top spot in terms of how friendly and welcoming locals are to newcomers.
According to the HSBC Bank International’s Expat Explorer Survey, people who relocate to Canada have “a relatively easy time befriending locals, joining a local community group and learning the language.” In fact, 95 per cent of those surveyed said that they have made friends with Canadian locals. Germany was ranked a close second at 92 per cent, followed by Australia at 91 per cent.

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More than a quarter of university-educated immigrants in Vancouver are still working in low-skilled jobs a decade after arriving in Canada, a higher proportion than in any other major city in the country, according to a new study by Statistics Canada.
The study, released Monday, looked at how Vancouver immigrants who arrived from 1990 to 1994 with university degrees were faring. It found that 24 per cent of the men and 33 per cent of the women were still working in low-skilled jobs — such as clerks, cashiers or taxi drivers.
That’s higher than the national average of 21 per cent for men and 29 per cent for women, and also slightly higher than the country’s other major immigrant-receiving cities such as Toronto and Montreal.

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Guidy Mamann for Metro
21 December 2008 08:21
Joseph and Alex have been best friends for many years.
Joseph was born here in Canada. His parents are of Christian-Lebanese descent.
Alex was born in India to traditional Sikh parents who immigrated here when he was just a boy.
Their backgrounds are as different as their personalities. Joe is the consummate professional… cool, calm, organized … and is always sporting an infectious smile. Alex on the other hand has a mind that simply races as if it were in Formula One. His ideas and words flow a mile a minute.
Joe and Alex worked together in a computer company that used to look after my law firm’s computer network. When that company folded, they struck it out on their own as partners. I didn’t hesitate in being amongst the first to give them my business. Since launching Jolera in 2001, the guys grew their venture to become the 49th fastest-growing company in Canada.
As if these two didn’t do absolutely everything together, they both became engaged right at about the same time. I felt honoured to be invited, along with my wife, to Alex’s wedding last Saturday night.

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The population of Canada grew more in the past three months than it has in any third quarter since 1990, according to Statistics Canada.
The population hit 33,441,300, up 129,900 since July.
Statistics Canada said Canada’s growth of 129,900 since July is mostly due to immigration. Since Oct. 1, 71,300 people entered Canada.
Every province and territory saw rising numbers, except the Northwest Territories, which saw a decline of 132 residents.

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The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal’s recent ruling that dictates pay structures for foreign workers could create a precedent that puts provincial temporary foreign worker programs in jeopardy.
According to several news reports, the Tribunal recently awarded a multi-million dollar judgment to a group of 35 South American temporary workers brought to Canada by construction giant SELI to build a rapid transit rail link from Vancouver Airport to the downtown core.
The complaint was filed by the Construction and Specialized Workers’ Union (CSWU), which collectively bargained for the workers when they arrived in Canada, but has since been decertified by the workers themselves.
(A similar compliant to the BC Labour Relations Board over a year ago was dismissed by that agency).

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The imminent deportation of a Vancouver-based Filipina caregiver and her one-year old Canadian-born baby underscores the “unjust” and “exploitative” policies of Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program, says a national advocacy group fighting to have the federal program scrapped.
Lilibeth Agoncillo, a 34 year-old single mother from Mindoro province in The Philippines, came to Canada in April, 2005 under Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
Despite living and working in Vancouver for over three years she has been ordered to leave Canada immediately for not meeting the required 24-months of live-in work during her three-year stay.
Under LCP rules, foreign caregivers must spend two years working in the home of their employer under a valid work permit.

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