Friday, November 2, 2012

Immigrants Coming to Canada


            Canada has a population of approximately 30 million people. Many people decide to immigrate to Canada because no matter where you come from, once you have landed in Canada, you have the right to become a Canadian citizen. These rights come from and are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You are eligible to become a Canadian citizen as long as you have lived in the country for three years. After being in the country for that long and after becoming a Canadian citizen you are eligible to vote and can apply for a Canadian passport. Canada is a highly developed country that has good working conditions, an education system and a very high standard of living and a health care system that is ranked one of the best in the world. The United Nations has ranked Canada the best place to live based on the quality of life, educational opportunities, unemployment and crime rates and life expectancy (Canadian Overseas Immigration and Business Services Inc., 2001).
“Canada’s number of immigrants in 2011-2012 would be 262,332 people, an average increase of one immigrant every 2 minutes and 1 second” (Stats Canada, 2012). As a result of the growing population in Canada, Stats Canada now has reported that there are more than 200 languages now being used throughout Canada. Along with English and French, the other popular languages being spoken are variations of Chinese dialects, Arabic, Persian, Spanish and Punjabi. But despite all of the different languages being spoken in Canada, English and French still remain dominant (Kennedy, 2012). In Canada’s growing diversity, some benefits come, like helping others start a new life, but there are also down falls, as some people believe they can take advantage of living in Canada.
According to the Globe and Mail, over 260 illegal immigrants have come into Canada this year through a feebly guarded border between Quebec and Vermont. They hop over unguarded entry points or drive through guarded crossings on the outbound lanes. A large number of the migrants are from Roma communities in Europe, who, once in Canada instigate refugee claims. An intelligence report that was completed last year by the CBSA (Canada Border Service Agency), warned of a growing number of Hungarian refugees claimants “taking advantage of Canada’s refugee processing system, social assistance and other benefits.” Because of this, the Harper government has taken action against illegal immigrants. Significant changes to the refugee act speeding up processing times and placing restrictions on claimants from countries unlikely to produce legitimate refugees (Radia, 2012).  
Canada is an open, democratic and progressive society where newcomers are welcome to share the country’s prosperity and community life. Many jobs and business opportunities are available along with skilled workers and businesspersons are required to meet the demand in Canada. Many people who come to Canada bring their skills and capacity for hard work, which helps the cultural life in Canada. The Canadian government accepts businesspersons and skilled workers from every part of the world (Knize). Immigrants and refugees come to Canada in search for a new and better life with many opportunities. Canada has a lot of beneficial things to offer including health care, education and employment. Canada is truly a great place to live.
-Alannah



References:
Kennedy, Mark (2012). Canada’s Language Landscape Altering with Increasing Immigrants. Retrieved From:http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Census+Canada+language+landscape+altering+with+increasing+immigrants+with+video/7438755/story.html

Radia, Andy (2012). Quebec-Vermont Border Seeing Growing Number of Illegal Migrants Coming to Canada. Retrieved From: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/quebec-vermont-border-seeing-growing-number-illegal-migrants-192510337.html

Statistics Canada (2012). Canada’s Population Clock. Retrieved From: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ig-gi/pop-ca-eng.htm

Canadian Overseas Immigration and Business Services Inc. Why Immigrate to Canada? Retrieved From: http://www.coibs.com/english/why.html

Knize, Katerina. Canadian Advantage. Retrieved From: http://www.canada-law.com/

5 comments:

  1. I think this is an excellent, positive, perspective of immigrants coming to Canada. One point that you made that really stood out to me was that there will be greater restrictions placed on immigrants coming from countries unlikely to have legitimate refugees. I am wondering what exactly the criteria is for a "legitimate refugee," and who will be doing this judgement.

    Although I agree that people should not be abusing the system and taking advantage of Canada's generosity, I think we should be very careful before judging people too harshly. If people have to escape their countries quickly, without time to go through the proper process, I do not think they should be impounded or deported. It is important to take each case individually and look at the unique circumstances surrounding it.

    This is a great post, and I hope that all immigrants can experience this diversity and benevolence you speak of.

    -Selina

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  2. Great post! What caught my eye was the fact that there are over 200 languages being spoken in Canada. This made me think of a news heading I saw while I was in Toronto this September. It basically stated that there are new language rules being implemented (by Conservative Jason Kenney), stating that immigrants will have to prove they can either speak English or French, along with passing the citizenship test before being a Canadian citizen. To me, it seems a bit extreme to MAKE someone learn the language if they ever want to live here, as it shows western influence is as far reaching as ever. Apparently, this rule was so that newcomers can fully participate in our economy (a big deal for conservatives),and secondly, our society.

    Selina, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act outlines the definition of a refugee. A refugee is someone who leaves their country for fear of persecution based on religion, nationality, political opinion, race, or membership in a particular social group. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) enforce this act. They also work with the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS).

    Shannon

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  3. I found this very interesting and decided to talk to a fellow colleague, who's family immigrated to Canada just under 13 years ago, about their immigration experience. During our discussion I found out that not only are immigrants eligible for these rights after 3 years of living in Canada, but to the best of his recollection those 3 years also have to be accumulated within a 5 year period. Therefore from the date of entry which would classify them as a landed immigrant, officials would look back 5 years and add up the amount of time a person has been in Canada. If they were to leave and return some time later, officials would then look back 5 years from that new date of entry. Only once their 3 years has been completed within a five year period are they then eligible to apply for citizenship. So you can see how this process may sometimes take many years before accumulating their 3 years in a 5 years period.

    -Denise

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Thank you for all of your feedback! I wanted to do this article to show people that not all immigrants are as bad as they are sought out to be. Most of them come for better opportunities and we as Canadians don't understand all of the struggles that they go through in order to become a Canadian citizen themselves and all of the scrutiny they are given.

    - Alannah

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