The Great Autumn!

Hi there!

Summer is certainly over and fall is here! The trees are glowing everywhere. The leaves are turning orange and some red. The sight is amazing! The constant drizzle does not remove from the beauty at all.

This is Canada! Specifically, this is Vancouver Island, British Columbia (beautiful British Columbia).

So, are you still considering leaving your home country?

For some people, interest in relocating to Canada is Utopian. You have a great career as a pharmacist, university professor, medical doctor, or some other professional.  You believe that as soon as you get to Canada, you would immediately find a job and continue in your chosen profession, earning in dollars. A BIG DREAM. A worthy one too.

However, there are some steps to take to get there. From getting an immigrant visa - that's if you have chosen to come via that route - to arriving at your chosen destination (city, town) and settling in, finding a job, reading and passing professional exams (if it is a requirement to work in your profession), then searching for jobs, and perhaps, a few other steps because no two situations are exactly the same. For some people, it takes about a year and for others a number of years. It is not fixed. There are many variables to consider.

So, are you still interested in coming here? What are your motives? Are they strong enough to keep you strong and focused in the face of challenges? Are they important enough to help you weather the storms? Are they important enough to make you burn your bridges once you arrive in Canada?

One thing I can promise you: if you are hopeful of a better life for you and your children, especially the latter, then it is worth the sacrifice. It is worth the pain and struggle, many times over. Your children will thank you for it tomorrow!

Good luck and have a great week!

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Often we get carried away by dreams of a fairy tale life in the developed world. Many people do not research to find out what life may be like for them in the USA, Canada, Australia, Britain, especially as newcomers. It is a different ball game if you knew that with your PhD you may be a cab driver while trying to get your credentials assessed or getting ready to write a professional examination to get certified to work in your field. If you knew what challenges you would face and still decide to leave your successful career and comfortable lifestyle to come to Canada, then it’s your choice and you are prepared to face the challenges ahead. Unfortunately, some people do not know these things and so are caught unawares.

The good news is that the Canadian government is working to reform the immigration process in order to minimize situations where successful professionals come to Canada and can only work in areas that don’t even require a high school diploma.

I don’t think the situation will change radically very soon in spite of the changes being implemented. I still think that the knowledge you have and your level of preparedness to face whatever challenges come your way would make all the difference. If a university professor knew he might work in a bakery or as a dish washer or cleaner or cab driver for some time; if he still decides to sacrifice the ‘good’ life he had in his home country for reasons (such as doing it for the kids), then he would cope better when confronted with tough situations. Defeat, depression, regret would not be options.

I like to tell people that I burned my bridges when coming to Canada. There is no going back – it’s not even an option. The thought never crossed my mind, not even when I was in the darkest place. I believed that someday, someway light would shine through the tunnel and warm my cold body. It was exhausting and painful but it gets better by the day. For some, the transition to better living is fast but for others it takes longer. Just being able to hang in there is the key to survival and ultimate success.

One thing is certain: change will come; and for the better. But first, you need to be sure what you’re getting yourself into.

HAPPY SUNDAY FRIENDS! Hope you have a great week!

News Release — Reducing Backlogs to Achieve a Fast and Flexible Immigration System

Ottawa, September 17, 2012 —The Government of Canada welcomed the findings of a report on immigration backlogs by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and tabled its response in Parliament today.
“I think we can all agree that backlogs are unfair to applicants, harmful to Canada’s ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world, and hold back economic and job growth,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “I thank the Standing Committee members for their hard work in compiling their report.”
The Committee commented favourably on what the Government has already achieved to date through the Action Plan for Faster Immigration and the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification. However, the Committee report also made clear that more needs to be done in order to better align application intake with admission levels.
The committee report recognizes that backlogs have occurred because for too long Canada has accepted more applications than it can process and admit in a given year.  Over time, this annual surplus of applications resulted in a backlog of more than a million applicants, and processing delays of eight to ten years in some immigration categories. The report concluded that, in order to avoid future backlogs, it is critical that the Government act to ensure that the annual number of applications better align with the number of admissions.  The report also recommended exploring further options to deal with the problem of existing backlogs, particularly in the federal skilled worker, immigrant investor, and parent and grandparent classes.
The Government agrees with all of the Standing Committee’s report recommendations and has already acted quickly to tackle application backlogs in key areas. Successes include:

• Reducing the pre-2008 Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) backlog by more than 50 percent by 2011 – two years earlier than expected – through the 2008 Action Plan for Faster Immigration and successive Ministerial Instructions limiting application intake.  Most recently, Economic Action Plan 2012 removed around 280,000 applicants from that FSW backlog, which paves the way for a faster and more flexible economic immigration system;
• Managing intake of the Immigrant Investor Program applications starting in July 2011.  Most recently, a temporary pause on new applications was introduced on July 1, 2012 to allow Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to focus on processing existing applications and reviewing the program’s effectiveness;
• Significantly decreasing the backlog of applications for parents and grandparents since fall 2011, as a result of increased admission targets and a two-year pause on new applications under the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification.  At the same time, CIC introduced a new “Super Visa,” which allows for visits of up to two years by parents and grandparents, and has proven to be a popular alternative for applicants.

In the last year, the Government has also launched public online consultations on re-designing the parent and grandparent program, and reforming the Immigrant Investor Program.  Policy work on reformed programs is now underway.
“The economy and job growth remain the Government’s number one priority,” said Minister Kenney. “We continue to take the issue of immigration backlogs very seriously, and we will be doing even more in the future to transform our immigration system into one that is fast, fair, flexible, and serves the interests of Canada’s long-term prosperity.”
The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration tabled its report, entitled “Cutting the Queue: Reducing Canada’s Immigration Backlogs and Wait Times,” in March 2012.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-09-17.asp