Nick Noorani Website

Immigrant pay lags despite more skills
New stats Canada report paints dour portrait…
Toronto, ON, January 30, 2007 — Publisher of the Canadian Immigrant Magazine, and advocate for immigrant rights, Naeem “Nick” Noorani, is not surprised by a new Statistics Canada report that paints a less than rosy picture for new immigrants coming to Canada. The report released today found that newcomers are over three times more likely to have low-incomes despite having much higher levels of education. Noorani says, “Little progress is being made for immigrants. Since 2000, we have had six different immigration ministers — that’s almost one a year. And none of them has been able to really make a difference for immigrants’ integration into Canada and standard of living. To make matters worse, the promised Canadian agency for the assessment and recognition of credentials that Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised a year ago is nowhere in sight.

The Stat Canada report, which assesses the economic situation of immigrant families, confirms that low-income rates among immigrants were 3.2 times higher than those of Canadian-born people in 2004. These rates were higher than at any time during the 1990s. “In a country like Canada, which was built on immigrants, it’s unacceptable that newcomers are facing so many employment and integration barriers that lead them to poverty,” says Noorani. “We have a booming economy, plus a labour shortage … there is no reason why immigrants can’t be used to their full advantage, both for their personal growth and the growth of the country. We know the reasons why this is happening — lack of foreign credential recognition, systemic discrimination — now it’s finally time to ask ‘what are the solutions?’”
A Canadian immigrant who has lived in Canada since 1988, Noorani understands the plight that newcomers face. He moved to Canada from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates . After months of selling newspaper subscriptions over the telephone, he finally started to build his career here. Noorani is now the voice and host of a radio segment broadcast on CBC Radio International called The Link; a new radio program aimed at helping new immigrants. His segment is called “Ask Nick,” it provides an opportunity for newcomers to ask “Nick” questions about coming to Canada.
Noorani’s goal as an advocate for immigrant rights is multi-faceted. “My mandate since launching the Canadian Immigrant magazine has been to help educate, motivate and inform newcomers about what life can be like living in this country. He will be launching a Toronto edition of the Canadian Immigrant this March to be able to reach and motivate immigrants right across the country.