http://nicknoorani.com Thoughts and rants (of course!) on the Canadian Inmigration System Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:46:43 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Sometimes, I just don't get people. I am talking about the brouhaha that has suddenly erupted after the Immigration Minister talked about insisting on language proficiency for workers coming to Canada. Now had he insisted on us learning Swahili or Sanskrit, I would have understood the media and other “experts” ... http://nicknoorani.com/the-ridiculous-language-debate/ Canada is one of the most digitally engaged nations in the world, and it’s also one of the most diverse. So it’s time for Canadian digital marketers and retailers to reach out to Canada’s ethnic communities, argues UBC communications manager Tracy Bains. Canadians are the most engaged online users in the ... http://nicknoorani.com/engaging-canada%e2%80%99s-ethnic-communities-online/ Seems like yesterday, but it was 2006 when Judge Cohen from Ontario decreed that the Christmas tree must be removed from the courthouse because it represented a religion. I always thought that the tree was not just a symbol of faith, but a coming together of families to spend much ... http://nicknoorani.com/how-political-correctness-harms-immigrants/ Mass migration in the internet age is changing the way that people do business IN THE flat world of maps, sharp lines show where one country ends and another begins. The real world is more fluid. Peoples do not have borders the way that parcels of land do. They seep from ... http://nicknoorani.com/migration-and-business-weaving-the-world-together/ A quarter of Hamilton's current residents are born outside the country and Statistics Canada anticipates that figure will jump 3 per cent by 2031. But despite that large percentage, newcomers settling into their lives still encounter discrimination and social exclusion and don't always feel welcome. There are common beliefs and assumptions ... http://nicknoorani.com/10-myths-about-immigration-must-read/ Most immigrants to Canada (including myself) are a bit bewildered with Thanksgiving. In Canada as in the US, Thanksgiving signifies the end of the harvest season. It is also celebrated in other parts of the world including Germany (Oktoberfest), Korea (Chuseok) and India (Baisakhi or Vaisakhi). These traditions are ancient ... http://nicknoorani.com/thank-you/ Immigrant advocate Nick Noorani speaks up about backlog Toronto, Oct. 3, 2011 — Here we go again. The backlog of immigrant applicants to Canada has again ballooned to one million. It now seems like bringing the numbers down is an impossible task. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney has ... http://nicknoorani.com/5-suggestions-to-get-canada%e2%80%99s-immigration-system-back-on-track/ Nick Noorani’s Monday Musings 19 September 2011 The Canadian Immigrant magazine was not just any entrepreneurial venture; for me, it was a way to reduce the time it takes for an immigrant to succeed in Canada, and make them productive tax payers! There was never a situation of two sides. Canada ... http://nicknoorani.com/the-politics-of-division/ Immigration is once again hogging the headlines. Yet, as the Canadian government wages a high-profile campaign to weed out suspected war criminals in our midst, it’s also begun a quieter, more thoughtful consultation with Canadians to reform our current system for selecting new immigrants. Canadian immigration is, indeed, at the crossroads, ... http://nicknoorani.com/the-dragon%e2%80%99s-den-approach-to-immigration/ With a low birth rate, Canada will need immigrants to help drive economic growth. But does our system reward the immigrants most likely to create that growth? We want skilled workers, or so goes the mantra. But the set of skills most likely to create jobs – entrepreneurship, or that intangible ... http://nicknoorani.com/attracting-the-entrepreneurial-immigrant/