In the News: Immigration Fraud

Today in the news:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Charges+laid+immigration+scam+involving+suspicious/7160669/story.html

Now, if you follow me on Twitter (@MBlogger2) you will know that I am answering questions on Yahoo Answers and trying to share the knowledge I’ve gained from research for this blog with a wider audience. One question that I see fairly frequently on that site is about marriage. Usually it’s two young people who want to be together and feel that marriage is their only option for citizenship and therefore their continued relationship.

Now, of course you should only get married WHEN and IF you actually want to because you love someone. However, that’s an ideal and often doesn’t happen in the “real world”. I’m not just talking about immigration fraud marriages, but a lot of marriages happen because people feel they SHOULD or they HAVE to, not because they WANT to… but that aside…

I’m just going to put this out there, but you probably shouldn’t marry someone with immigration as your primary goal. I’m not really sure why people who are not vulnerable or financially needy (like the ones the individual in the article above took advantage of) would think it was a good idea to commit something which could potentially get them charged with fraud. Heck, you can be charged with fraud and have your spouse’s visa denied even if your love is “real and genuine”. All the government needs to do is doubt you, and it seems that they are inclined to do so.

I don’t know what inspires so many teens on the internet to believe marriage is the answer to spending more time with their cross-border sweetheart, but the article above should show them that there is intense government scrutiny of sponsorship and marriage. (Maybe its Romeo and Juliet, or author Elizabeth Gilbert?)

Here’s the official information from www.cic.gc.ca:

“There are some people who think marriage to a Canadian citizen will be their ticket to Canada.

It is a crime for foreign nationals to marry Canadian citizens or permanent residents only to gain entry into Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is working to prevent these fraudulent marriages.

In many cases, sponsors and foreign applicants arrange a “marriage of convenience”: a marriage or common-law relationship where the sole purpose is for the sponsored spouse to immigrate to Canada.

CIC officers are specially trained to recognize genuine immigration applications, and they know how to detect marriages of convenience. They use several methods to uncover marriage fraud, including document checks, site visits and interviews with sponsors and applicants. Canadian citizens or permanent residents found to be part of a marriage of convenience for immigration purposes may be charged with a crime.”

More info on immigration fraud here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/protection/fraud/index.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/protection/fraud/marriage.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/protection/antifraud.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/fraud.asp

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-03-09.asp

http://visalawcanada.blogspot.ca/2012/08/large-scale-marriage-scam-alleged-39.html

The Canadian Immigration System: Provincial Nomination Program (PNP)

Recall that the Topic of the Week is The Canadian Immigration System. So far, I have covered the Point System, and Permanent Residence. (If you have any questions on these, you can still pose them in the comments, on twitter, via email, or on youtube.) Today, I’m going to talk about the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

The Provincial Nominee Program is a fairly recent development in Canadian Immigration, and as the story from PEI earlier this week shows there are still some issues that need to be worked out in order to ensure that these programs are administered in a fair and just manner.

As you may be aware, Canada is comprised of ten provinces and three territories. Each of the provinces, aside from Quebec which has a skilled worker program that operates parallel to the federal one, can have a Provincial Nominee Program. However, only certain provinces/territories are currently participating in the Program. (Check here for the most updated list of them: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/provincial/index.asp) These programs help the provinces to attract immigrants who meet their identified needs by meeting their special requirements. Furthermore, the PNPs act as fast-tracking for many immigrants by bringing them to Canada and granting them Permanent Residence (PR) sooner.

A COUPLE OF GENERAL FACTS ABOUT PROVINCIAL NOMINEES:

- They are “economic immigrants” and are identified on the basis of job skills and the ability to contribute to the province/territory’s economy.

- They are nominated for this program by the Province/Territory. This needs they need to apply to the province first.

- As of July 1, 2012 most provincial/territorial nominees in “semi- or low-skilled professions” will have to show language skills in either of the two official languages of Canada.

- Once you have a Provincial Nomination you can apply to the CIC for permanent Residence right away. This is how PNP can act as fast-tracking towards PR.

- If you can’t get into Canada through the regular federal streams (ie you do not obtain at least 67 points in the points system) the Provincial Nominee Program might be an alternate way for you to become a Canadian Permanent Resident. This is because PNP does not judge you based on the same criteria as the CIC. However, you do still have to pass CIC screening to get PR… but if you’re on the threshold of those 67 federal points, PNP might give you that extra boost you need.

- Provincial nominees still need to get a medical and a police check. Canada does not normally accept immigrants with serious medical conditions or criminal records. You may also have to undergo language testing. These checks are done at your own expense, so prepare for those costs.

- The process for PNP is different in every participating province or territory, so make sure you are looking at the right province’s information when applying. You can’t expect to apply in Saskatchewan using Alberta’s PNP procedure.

Sources: www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/provincial/index.asp

The Canadian Immigration System: Permanent Residence

Readers of this blog will know that I was born in Canada and am a Canadian citizen. However, this status does not mean that I am an expert in the affairs of my country or in dealing with my government(s). In fact, I recently realized how ignorant I am about the actual process required to immigrate to Canada. I mean, I always knew it was a fairly long process with the usual mass of bureaucratic red tape but I never really understood the implications of the point system or the practical side of immigration. So, I’m doing a little research now, and I am going to share my results with you.

How does one get Permanent Residence?

The saying goes: “There are many ways to skin a cat.” There are also many ways to become a Permanent Resident in Canada (none of which, thankfully, involve skinning cats).

Picture from: http://www.sodahead.com/fun/how-many-tabs-do-you-have-open/question-2860047/?link=ibaf&q=&imgurl=http://qweka.com/file/pic/photo/2010/12/lolcat-lol-cat-49-jpg.jpg

Here are the different categories, each with its own criteria:
1.      Skilled workers and professionals
2.      Quebec-selected skilled workers
3.      Canadian Experience Class
4.      Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Self-Employed people
5.      Provincial Nominees
6.      Sponsored Family Members
7.      Refugees
8.      Other

The government aims to grant PR to a given number of people in each category per year. (How they come to this number I do not know, but I assume it involves civil servants, consultations with labor market stakeholders, an agenda coinciding with the ruling party’s position on the political spectrum, and some sort of mathematical formula.)

Here’s a rough look at the trend in Permanent Residents by category in the last 3 years that I made from figures provided on the CIC website (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/facts2011-summary/01.asp):

As you can see, most people who are granted PR are “Economic Immigrants”. So, I’m going to focus on that category for now. Here’s a further breakdown of Economic Immigrants granted Permanent Residence in 2011 (also from the CIC) chart:

As you can see, most Economic Immigrants are considered “skilled workers and professionals”. So what does it take to become a skilled worker? In brief, education, knowledge of English and/or French, work experience and other factors relating to economic suitability count for points here. I’ve tried to summarize this information into the little graphic below. However, the rules for applying in this category do change often so it is best to check the CIC website frequently if this is the category your application fits under.

Note that skilled workers applying to Quebec take a different route and are specially selected by that province.

All of this sounds fine and dandy, but there have been issues with the federal skilled worker stream of applications. Notably, a massive backlog of people who applied to come to Canada over 4 years ago. This was in the news around a month ago because Minister Jason Kenney decided to deal with the backlog by clearing the slate, hitting restart and pretending as though most of it didn’t happen. The people caught up in the backlog were told they would have to start again (although the government did promise to refund their application fees). Additionally, he has put a “temporary pause” on federal skilled worker applications (with a couple of exceptions). Why? Well, look at this direct quote from the CIC website:

“Why are you putting a temporary pause on Federal Skilled Worker applications?

CIC is implementing a temporary pause in order to draw down the FSWP inventory, helping to clear way for the introduction of a new application management system to support our “just in time” vision of immigration.  The temporary will also enable the Department to concentrate efforts on bringing in an improved FSWP to select skilled workers who will be better positioned to succeed in the Canadian economy.

Application intake will likely be re-opened to coincide with the launch of the revised FSWP selection criteria and new Federal Skilled Trades Program. The proposed regulatory amendments will be pre-published in the Canada Gazette in the coming months and are expected to take effect by early 2013.

It is important to note that this temporary pause on new FSWP applications does not apply to candidates with qualifying offers of arranged employment or to those applying under the PhD eligibility stream.”

What kind of costs and forms are involved?

Of course, there are multiple forms and other hoops to jump through, and costs to account for when applying for Permanent Residency regardless of the stream you are applying in. I doubt I, as someone who has never completed the process, can accurately list all of these costs, forms, and processes. If I’ve missed anything please let me know it the comments! (or on www.twitter.com @MBlogger2 or via email comingtocanadablog@gmail.com or on www.youtube.com Coming2CanadaBlg)

You can check out everything straight from the source! That way, there’s little chance of me telling you something that is incorrect. Check out:

www.cic.gc.ca

What are the benefits of having Permanent Residence in Canada?

Being a Permanent Resident allows you to live and work in Canada (which is a goal for immigrants who wish to settle and stay in this country, obviously). So, if you get your PR card in the mail, it is definitely time to celebrate because you have succeeded in navigating the Canadian immigration system in order to achieve a goal.
From the CIC website:

You get a PR Card. This PR Card allows you to re-enter Canada when/if you leave.
You have Canadian rights and privileges. This includes: the right to most Canadian social services and health care, the right to work/study/live anywhere in Canada, the right to apply for citizenship (when you meet the requirements), etc.

What are the conditions of Permanent Residency?

You can lose Permanent Resident Status if you do not meet the conditions and legal requirement associated with your status.

You must reside in Canada for at least 2 out 5 years while you hold a PR Card.

You cannot be convicted of a serious crime. This may still report in deportation.

You are not yet a Canadian citizen. Technically, you are still a citizen of your home country.


This website goes through the process in fairly direct, step-by-step way and may be a helpful additional resource for some, particularly those looking to apply as Live-in Caregivers: http://www.tlc-edmonton.com/immigration.html

Busting Racism and Discrimination Myths About Immigrants

I wonder if much of the discrimination and racism that Canadian immigrants/new Canadians face is the result of ignorance. There are so many myths and stereotypes out there that if they were believed to be true, might make people more inclined to behave in a negative way towards immigrants.

All of the myths in this article are based purely off my own experience. These are things that I have personally heard people say or read in other blogs/web forums. These myths might not be representative of everything that is out there. Please comment on anything you feel was omitted in the comments section, on twitter, via email, or youtube.



Myth #1: “Immigrants get a free ride at Canadian universities and then go back to their home countries and use all that free education to benefit their home country instead of Canada.”

There are so many things wrong with the above statement. I’m going to have to break this myth down piece by piece:

-It seems that the people who say things like this are a little bit confused about the basic definition of an immigrant. They seem to be forgetting that immigrant implies “settling” in a new country instead of temporarily staying somewhere while going to school. They also do not seem to understand the distinction between an International Student (who comes to Canada on a student visa) and an Immigrant (who may come to Canada on a variety of other visas).

-International students do NOT get a “free ride at Canadian universities”. In fact, they have to pay higher fees than Canadian citizens do. Few Canadians that I have encountered, particularly here in Alberta, realize how heavily the government subsidizes post-secondary education for Canadian citizens. At many universities local students only pay a fraction of the tuition that international students do. The figures vary based on each province and university, but if you’re curious you should ask an international university student what their tuition is and compare it to the amount paid by a local student at the same institution. The results might surprise you. Now, to be absolutely fair in this discussion, I should point out that international students might have more scholarship and subsidization opportunities available to them. However, there are also many scholarship and loan/grant options available to non-international students. The whole point of scholarships, loans/grants, subsidies is to try to level the playing field as much as possible so that all qualified individuals can attend post-secondary education.

Here are some figures I found from a sampling of Canadian Universities:

My sources:
http://www.students.ubc.ca/coursesreg/tuition-fees-deposits/tuition-fees/
http://www.registrarsoffice.ualberta.ca/Costs-Tuition-Feesaspx
http://www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-charges/fallwinter-term-tuition-and-fees/undergraduate-fees

As you can see, based on a data from these three well known Canadian Universities, the average international student pays $13, 044.00 more than a Canadian citizen or resident. That’s a far cry from a “free ride”.



Myth #2:“You let one immigrant in and then they bring over their entire family, who will just sit on welfare, use and abuse our healthcare system, and never get jobs or contribute to Canadian society!”

You see this myth emerge often in comments on news stories about immigrants who are trying to sponsor their families for Canadian residence. Now, with any system there will be people who take advantage of it, but there are measures in place to ensure that the family members that are brought over on sponsorship will not be a burden to Canadian tax payers. (People should also keep in mind that immigrants and permanent residents are also taxpayers in this country when they work here, so it’s not as though they aren’t contributing to the system.) These measures are (according to the CIC official website):

1.      Only Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their spouses, common-laws, conjugal partners, and dependant children. This means that the immigrant in question has to have already worked in Canada, contributed to taxes, and jumped through all the other hoops in place. (BTW, this is “Family Class” sponsorship that I’m talking about here.)

2.      When sponsoring a family member, the sponsor has to sign documents that commit them to provide for their family member/dependant financially. They must provide financial support for that person for 3 years after they become a permanent resident. If the person they are sponsoring is their child, they have to provide financial support for 10 years, or until the child turns 25 (whichever comes first). This means that “Joe taxpayer” isn’t supporting these people, the individual immigrant is.

3.      If an individual signed the above agreement before to get a family member residency and failed to deliver (ex the family member ended up using social assistance before the 3 years were up) they are NOT eligible to sponsor a family member again.

4.      A person cannot be a sponsor if they receive financial assistance (unless it is for a disability).

5.      There’s a minimum income require to sponsor a given number of people. See here (search LICO): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5196ETOC.asp#table3 This means only financially viable individuals can sponsor relatives.

6.      Currently there is a hold on applications to sponsor Grandparents and Parents. These applications are not being processed. So, contrary to popular belief young people are not coming here, and then bringing over their elderly relations to use up our healthcare resources. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/index.asp




Myth #3: "Immigrants get let into Canada all the time and they don’t even speak our language(s)!”

This is another argument you often see in the comments section on news stories relating to immigrants.

However, if people making these comments read the news more carefully they would know about the recent changes that require immigrants to demonstrate a given competency level in either of our two official languages.

Also, why does it seem that many people are afraid of people speaking in languages they don’t understand? Do you honestly think the Russia mother and daughter on the bus are whispering about you or something? It’s pretty self-involved to think that just because someone can speak in a different language that they are conspiring against you/Canadians/English-speakers when they do it. Different languages shape the way we form our thoughts, so it might be much easier for someone to express a given though in their native tongue or in a second language other than English or French. Why do you think translation is hard to do? Some thoughts just don’t have an equivalent in all languages!



Myth #4: “Immigrants are destroying Canadian culture! We let them keep their cultures, and we lose our own. They are colonizing us!”

This is something I’ve seen on some right-wing blogs/sites/comments.

To bust this myth, there isn’t much I can provide in terms of hard evidence. I can only offer this argument against the myth:

If someone claims that “immigrants are destroying Canadian culture” I always find myself asking the question: What is Canadian culture anyway? Do we even have one unified culture that can be destroyed, in the first place? Just asking these kinds of questions chips a hole in the Canadian culture myth.

Canada is not a nation in the ethnic or cultural sense. We are a nation purely in the political understanding of the term. Since the time when the first non-Aboriginals settled here we have not been ethnically or culturally homogenous. Even before the Europeans arrived on the scene, the territory we now know as Canada was one of diverse religious beliefs, languages, and cultures. So, if we have ever had a “Canadian culture” to destroy it was always a culture comprised of many diverse cultures. And how does on destroy a culture of diversity? By imposing homogeneity on it. So, those who argue that immigrants are destroying Canadian culture by bringing their diversity with them, are really the one destroying our culture.

Secondly, if part of knowing and embracing Canadian culture is learning about our nation’s history, then immigrants are likely more up-to-date on Canadian culture than most born-in-Canada Canadians. Why? Well to become a Canadian citizen, permanent residents have to pass a Citizenship test which includes questions about our political and judicial systems, history, and “culture”. I bet many Canadians would do very poorly on this exam if they were to take it.



Myth #5: “Immigrants don’t contribute to Canadian society! They’re all about doing things for their home countries and even if they live here, they don’t care about Canada!”

This myth is usually something I hear uttered, and from that moment on decide to avoid that person completely. Saying something like this is a big mark of ignorance in my books.
So, to bust this terrible myth here’s a list of successful/famous Canadian immigrants and refugees:

1.      Adrienne Clarkson: Refugee. Was the Governor General (the Queen’s top representative in Canada) and is reportedly good friends with British actor Alan Rickman.

2.      Alexander Graham Bell: Immigrant. Invented the harmonic telegraph, which later became the telephone.

3.      Peter Mansbridge: Immigrant. Famous Canadian newscaster.

4.      Robert Herjavec: Immigrant. Wealthy businessman featured on the show Dragons Den.

5.      Olivia Chow: Immigrant. Member of Parliament and wife of the late Jack Layton.

6.      Mike Lazaridis: Immigrant. Founder of Research in Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry company.

7.      Michael Ondaatje: Immigrant. Author.

8.      Gideon Sundback: Immigrant. Inventor of the zipper.

Live on Twitter

Currently tweeting-away ( @MBlogger2  www.twitter.com ) about Canadian Immigration facts and trivia. Tweet me your questions, facts, and trivia about Canadian immigration.