http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/new-council-on-immigration-integration-formed-in-peterborough-canada.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/new-council-on-immigration-integration-formed-in-peterborough-canada.html Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Mike Ma, co-ordinator of the Community and Race Relations Committee, said: "Economic prosperity is tied to population growth and we can't have population growth without immigration".

"So we need a strategy to increase immigration, and we need a resettlement strategy for comprehensive integration and retention," he added.

One the goals of the partnership is to prepare an application for federal and provincial funding under the Citizenship and Immigration Canada program, "Local Immigration Partnership" (LIP).

"Attracting new Canadians to Peterborough might be our number one problem we need to face in the next few years," admitted Councilor Dean Pappas, a member of the partnership council.

"We have the second oldest workforce in Canada and one of the lowest attraction of immigrants rate. We're not going to be growing unless we attract new Canadians to Peterborough."

Some of the other associations playing a major role in the partnership process are The Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC), and the New Canadians Centre Peterborough. The goal is to ensure a strong labour force for the future.

Carmela Valles, executive director and organizer of the partnership council said they aim to educate and create awareness, go beyond "over the counter" services, and make immigrant integration a two-way process.

Valles recognises a need to develop a strategy to take ownership of the immigrant integration by focusing on three areas, namely settlement services, language training, and labour market integration.

The universities in the area have also expressed excitement about the partnership: "Welcoming and integrating immigrants is essential to the economic and cultural vitality of the community," said Michael Allcott, director of Trent University's international program.

Visit Migration Expert's website http://www.migrationexpert.com if you'd like to find out more about Canadian, Australian and UK immigration and visas.

Read more on Immigration to Canada

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Migration Expert Canada is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Canadian Visas and Immigration to Canada, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/canada/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/uk-immigration-highly-beneficial-to-british-economy.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/uk-immigration-highly-beneficial-to-british-economy.html Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The report reveals that UK immigration has caused skills and labour shortages to be avoided and that the economy has been kept on a stable growth path.

"On the available evidence... the UK's ageing population, with fewer young people entering the job market, means that a fair and flexible policy of managed migration is essential if the economy is to continue to grow," said David Coats, the foundation's associate director of policy and also author of the report.

The report, that praises immigration's affect on the UK, also stated that in 2007, fewer people than in 2006 and 2005 came from central and Eastern Europe.

This means that immigration to the UK should be encouraged by other countries as well, so that new blood can be added to the system, keeping inflation and interest rates low.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has recently said at a monthly press conference that UK immigration had added six billion pounds to the economy, a substantial boost, noting that most British businesses that have faced labour shortage had benefited from being able to recruit more widely from skilled labour.

"The high water mark may have been passed and employers cannot rely on a continued supply of Polish workers to fill labour shortages in the UK," David added in the report. "As the economies of central and Eastern Europe grow and unemployment falls, the pressure to migrate will lessen."

If you'd like to find out more about living and working in the UK, visit Migration Expert's website, where ample information about UK visas and immigration can be found.

In order to find out which UK visa you are eligible for, you can do our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver instant results!

Read more on Immigration to the UK

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Migration Expert UK is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on UK Visas and Immigration to the UK, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/uk/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/strong-immigration-program-with-integrity-critical-to-australias-future.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/strong-immigration-program-with-integrity-critical-to-australias-future.html Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
"It will help us meet the skills and labour shortages we are facing in an increasingly competitive and globalised world, as Australia's population ages," he added.

"I find this research very encouraging – 69% of those surveyed agree that immigration makes Australia stronger. It is also encouraging that the percentage of people who feel that immigration levels are too high now is half the rate reported 10 years ago."

Laurie Ferguson, the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, saw the research as painting a positive picture of Australia as a cohesive society.

"While not a reason for complacency, I find it encouraging that Australia, one of the world's most diverse nations, retains very high levels of social cohesion," Ferguson said. "I note very positive findings in the report, such as 96% of those surveyed feeling a strong sense of belonging and 94% expressing pride in Australia."

There is the hope that this research report, called "Mapping social cohesion – the Scanlon Foundation surveys" would encourage Australian immigration, and make current migrants feel welcome.

"There is, of course, always work to be done," Ferguson added. "Many government, community and private sector programs contribute to social cohesion. The government is reviewing its multicultural policy and advisory arrangements to ensure we continue to make progress as a prosperous, cohesive and inclusive society."

He said that he looks forward to consultations and discussions on the details of the research in the near future.

Written by Professor Andrew Markus and Dr Arunachalam Dharmalingam of the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements in partnership with the Australian Multicultural Foundation, the research was funded by the Scanlon Foundation.

If you would like to find out more about immigration to Australia, or want to work and live in "The Lucky Country", you can get more information on Migration Expert's website.

Read more about Australian Immigration

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Migration Expert Australia is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Immigration to Australia and Working In Australia, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/Australia/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/faster-processing-speed-for-457-australian-work-visas-for-skilled-migrants.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/faster-processing-speed-for-457-australian-work-visas-for-skilled-migrants.html Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
This follows after Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans told a Senate Estimates committee that 5795, or nearly half of all skilled migrant visas had not been processed within the required time of two to three months. He also stressed that if staff had to clear the backlog, they'd be working overtime.

Thus, more resources will now be provided to the Australian Immigration and Citizenship Department so that the current backlog of 457 Skilled Migrant Visas can be cleared by the end of June.

Also, specialised Australian immigration centres will be set up in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to process 457 Work Visas from July, as the number of visas granted in 2007-8 increased on the back of the mining and construction boom.

Specialised teams will concentrate on regions, industries and projects to address particular shortages.

In addition to that, employers who regularly hire overseas labour and classified as "low-risk" (i.e. firms with a good track record) will be able to have their applications fast-tracked under an accreditation system. This means that big businesses will be able to speed up the 457 Australian Work Visa process so that they can import foreign workers.

This comes after many employers have complained of significant processing delays for 457 Work Visas, backed by a report that 37% of applications by "low risk" employers took longer than eight weeks.

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans said the Government had moved quickly to adopt 14 of 16 measures to improve the 457 regime recommended by an industry panel that's chaired by Xstrata Australia chairman Peter Coates, deputy chief executive of the Business Council of Australia Melinda Cilento and former chief executive of the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy Tim Shanahan.

As of April 1, 39,940 temporary Skilled Work Visas had been granted in 2007-08. Health and IT workers were found to be among the most sought after professionals.

Totals for the year are expected to be 17% higher than the previous year.

Statistics by the Australian Immigration Department showed that 20% of 457 Work Visa sponsors brought in about 75% of employees to work in Australia.

If you would like to find out more about immigration to Australia, or want to work and live in Australia,you can get more information on Migration Expert's website.

read more about 457 Work Visas

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Migration Expert Australia is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Australian Work Visas and 457 Work Visas, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/australia/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-canada-improvement-to-work-permits-for-international-students.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-canada-improvement-to-work-permits-for-international-students.html Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
"The Government of Canada wants more foreign students to choose Canada and we want to help them succeed," said Immigration and Citizenship Minister Finley.

Effectively immediately, international students will now be able to obtain an open work permit under the Canadian Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.

Basically, four new changes have been implemented, namely:

No restrictions on the type of employment;
No requirement for a job offer;
Duration of work permit has been extended to three years;
This is applicable to the entire Canada, and not just restricted to specific provinces.

Previously, the Immigration Department required international students in Canada to have an offer of employment before they could qualify for the Post-Graduation Work Visa.

In addition to that, employment had to be related to their field of study, and, depending on the location, they were only allowed to work for one to two years.

These new rules are a first for the Immigration Department, and are sure to make Canada even more attractive for skilled individuals and students.

"Open and longer work permits provide international students with more opportunities for Canadian work experience and skills development," said Immigration and Citizenship Minister Finley. "This will, in turn, help make Canada a destination of choice, and help us keep international students already studying in Canada."

The program's new flexibility will benefit both graduates and employers, as it will help international students get important work experience while responding to Canada's labour market needs.

In the long run, Canada will benefit as the professional experience gained will help graduates meet immigration requirements to stay permanently in Canada.

"As we move toward the implementation of the Canadian Experience Class, these changes will help create a pool of individuals who, with work experience, will find it easier to apply to immigrate to Canada," said Minister Finley.

"Our ability to retain international graduates with Canadian qualifications, work experience and familiarity with Canadian society, will help increase our competitiveness and benefit Canada as a whole."

The goal of the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program has always been to allow international students who have graduated from an eligible program at a post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience.

According to preliminary 2007 data by Citizenship and Immigration, 63,673 international students came to Canada that year, a 4.6% increase from the previous year.

If you are interested in working, studying and/or living in Canada, find out which visa you qualify for by doing our free online visa eligibility assessment.

Read more on Canadian Student Visas

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Migration Expert Canada is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Canadian Student Visas and Studying in Canada, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/canada/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-contributes-%24947-370-towards-newcomers-in-hamilton-ontario.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-contributes-%24947-370-towards-newcomers-in-hamilton-ontario.html Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500
In fact, through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the Canadian Immigration Department has increased settlement funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years.

"We want more immigrants to come to Canada and we are committed to helping immigrants begin their new lives in our country," said Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Diane Finley.

"This funding will give newcomers in the Hamilton area access to a number of valuable services, providing the support they need as they integrate into the community. Their success is good for Hamilton and good for Canada as a whole."

Helping newcomers settle, adapt, and integrate into Canadian society is a high priority for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Through programs delivered in partnership with the Canadian provinces, the Government is able to provide services such as:

- Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, which provides orientation, referrals to community resources, advice and guidance;
- Language Instruction for newcomers to Canada, which provides basic language training for adults;
- The Host Program, which helps newcomers connect with volunteers who help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community;
- Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), established in 2007 with over 320 Service Canada centres across Canada, providing information, path-finding and referral services to help internationally trained individuals use their skills in Canada.

If you are interested in working, studying and/or living in Canada, you can find out if you are eligible to apply for a visa by doing our free online visa eligibility assessment.

Read more on Immigration to Canada

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Migration Expert Canada is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Canadian Immigration and Living in Canada, visit http://www.MigrationExpert.com/canada/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-dept-workshop-for-australian-work-visas-and-employment.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-dept-workshop-for-australian-work-visas-and-employment.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The Overseas Workers workshop will provide advice on Australian Work Visa programs that allow migrants from all over the world to fill skilled, semi-skilled and seasonal employment vacancies in the region.

Designed for both employers and their overseas workers, topics in the sessions include the Working Holiday Maker visa program, Skilled Migration options, Employer-Sponsored visa categories, worker entitlements and employer obligations.

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to provide information on the range of visa options available to businesses and their employees," a spokesman from the Australian Immigration Department said.

This Overseas Workers seminar has been organised by the Australian Immigration Department in conjunction with industry groups and other state and Commonwealth government agencies based in the Goldfields.

"This is a unique partnership of governments and industry that has identified information needs for employers in the region and their overseas staff," the departmental spokesman added.

If this Overseas Workers seminar is successful, the Immigration Department would consider conducting it in other regional centres in Australia.

This initiative is being developed in conjunction with the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission, the Goldfields Area Consultative Committee, as well as the Goldfields Small Business Centre.

Advice will also be available on family migration and citizenship processes.

If you would like to find out more about immigration to Australia, or want to work and live in "The Lucky Country", you can get more information on Migration Expert's website.

Also, if you'd like to find out for which visa you qualify for, you can do a free visa eligibility assessment, which is available online.

Read more about Work Visas in Australia


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Migration Expert Australia is a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Work Visas & Working in Australia, visit www.MigrationExpert.com today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/hsmp-changes-in-uk-immigration-rules-may-allow-2-500-indian-professionals-to-return.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/hsmp-changes-in-uk-immigration-rules-may-allow-2-500-indian-professionals-to-return.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The changes were applied in November 2006 with retrospective effect to the Highly Skilled Migrants programme (HSMP). On the 8th of April 2008, to the relief of many an immigrant, these changes were struck down by the High Court as unlawful.

The HSMP Forum is the campaign group which spearheaded public and legal challenges to the government regulations.

It is currently working with the UK Home Office to ensure that those who were forced to leave Britain due to the controversial retrospective changes are allowed to return and take up employment under the HSMP.

"It is now the responsibility of the Home Office that those affected by the November 2006 changes should be allowed back into the country," Amit Kapadia of the HSMP Forum said. "We will be pursuing this with the government."

Kapadia said that an estimated 5,000 professionals, of which nearly half of them are Indian, were forced to leave Britain when the changes, seen as unlawful, were implemented, resulting in them not meeting the new criteria of the programme.

Under the HSMP scheme, points were allocated for age, educational qualification, salary and the UK Experience and UK Study.

But in November 2006, the Government effected changes in the HSMP programme under which the HSMP visa holders had to reappear for examination requiring higher annual income and had age restrictions to get their visa extended.

Kapadia stated that the HSMP Forum will work with the Home Office to ensure that the April 8 judgement was fully implemented. He added that if the judgement was not implemented in letter and spirit, the forum was at liberty to appeal.

On its part, the Home Office has accepted the judgement and also decided not to appeal against it, saying that it did ‘not intend to waste taxpayer's money with an appeal’.

In an email from Lin Homer, chief executive of Border and Immigration Agency, Kapadia was informed: "We are now urgently considering how to give effect to the judgement and will let you know the details as soon as we can. You will understand that we want to make sure that we have given these matters due consideration so that the remedies we put in place are clear and work as smoothly as possible".

If you are interested in UK immigration, you can find more information and advice by registered migration consultants on Migration Expert’s website.

If you would like to know which United Kingdom visa you qualify for, you can do our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver instant results!

Read more about HSMP Work Visas


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Rochelle works for Migration Expert UK, a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on our HSMP Visas, visit www.MigrationExpert.com/uk/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/english-course-added-in-aid-of-immigration-in-canadas-bathurst.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/english-course-added-in-aid-of-immigration-in-canadas-bathurst.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
This applies to all newcomers to Bathurst, a city in New Brunswick, who have obtained permanent resident status in Canada.

The course will be offered on the Youghall campus at The New Brunswick Community College (NBCC).

This brand new English program that supports immigration to Canada has been introduced by the NBCC last week on the 16th of April at a news conference held at the school as it celebrated 20 years of language training.

The news conference was held in order to remind the public of current services and to introduce this new service for northern New Brunswick.

Said coordinator of the NBCC language training centre, Nicole Poirier: "These services have been offered for a while in the southern part of the province and we started this program to really help newcomers who have the permanent resident status to adapt to our region".

Thanks to the latest service via Immigration Canada, newcomers are excited about the prospect of improving their English language skills for free.

"We are learning for free since last October," said Heeyoun Shin, an immigrant that has left Korea four years ago. "This is good."

Poirier said language training has been available at NBCC Bathurst for more than 20 years and over the years, even more services have been added.

"We've had two programs that have been offered here for the last 20 years. We offer English and French intensive programs that start in September and go until the month of April. If somebody has the goal of becoming bilingual, that's the way to go."

She said that the college eventually added night classes and on-site training for some local businesses as well, as they're aware of the fact that not everyone can always do a full-time program.

In addition to that, NBCC also offers customised courses for people that may not fit in with the programs that they offer in the evenings.

If you are interested in Canadian immigration, you can find more information and advice by registered migration consultants on Migration Expert's website.

If you would like to know which Canadian visa you qualify for, you can do our free online visa eligibility assessment, which will deliver instant results!

Read more about Immigration to Canada


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Rochelle works for Migration Expert Canada, a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Visas to Canada and Living In Canada, visit www.MigrationExpert.com/canada/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-dept-rejoices-as-lost-canadians-citizenship-bill-is-passed.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/immigration/immigration-dept-rejoices-as-lost-canadians-citizenship-bill-is-passed.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
People who are citizens when this law comes into force will not lose their citizenship as a result of these amendments.

The new law will give citizenship to:

Those who became citizens when the first citizenship act took effect on January 1, 1947 (including people born in Canada prior to 1947 and war brides) and who then lost their citizenship;
Any person who was born in Canada or became a Canadian on or after January 1, 1947, and who then lost citizenship; and
Any person born abroad to a Canadian on or after January 1, 1947, if not already a citizen, but only if they are the first generation born abroad.

An amendment to the Citizenship Act, Bill C-37 has sorted out various quirks in 19th century legislation that affected as many as 200,000 people who lost, or never had, their citizenship.

Bill C-37 has just received Royal Assent and is in its final stage of coming into law.

"Today is a very special day for Canada with the passage of this legislation," said Immigration Minister Finley on the 16th of April.

"By introducing this legislation last year, our Government took decisive action to help those people who had their citizenship questioned, and to protect the value of Canadian citizenship for the future."

Finally, the door has been opened to "Lost Canadians" to regain their citizenship, which they have either lost or never had in the first place due to little-known quirks in the Citizenship Act itself.

"We're very pleased to have been the government that was able to resolve this situation finally," Canada's Immigration Minister told CBC News.

The bill flowed out of a series of reports from CBC News in 2007 that highlighted the fact that thousands of people were at risk of losing their citizenship because of outdated provisions in existing and former citizenship laws.

Shocking findings by the news channel's investigation included that there may be more than 200,000 immigrants living in Canada who could lose their citizenship for various reasons.

These reasons include:

Canadian-born children who have lost their citizenship because their fathers became US citizens at a later stage;
The law from 1947 to 1977 required people living outside of Canada on their 24th birthday to sign a form to keep their citizenship;
Immigrants born in a hospital south of the border were not considered citizens unless they later registered as Canadians; and
Some immigrants were stripped of their citizenship because they or their ancestors were considered illegitimate.

In May of 2005, Parliament passed a law speeding up Canadian citizenship for those in the first category, a category which has affected more than 100,000 people.

Under the law of the time, children of fathers who decided to take out citizenship in another country automatically lost their Canadian citizenship as well, even if they weren't living with them at the time.

This new law will come into effect no later than a year following Royal Assent.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada said exceptions to the law allowing lost Canadians to register are those born in Canada to a foreign diplomat, those who've renounced their citizenship with Canadian authorities, and those whose citizenship was revoked by the government because it was obtained by fraud.

If you are interested in Canadian immigration, you can find more information on Migration Expert's website.

In order to find out which Canadian visa you qualify for, just do our free visa eligibility assessment, which is available online and will deliver instant results!

Read more about Canadian Immigration


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Rochelle works for Migration Expert Canada, a global leader in online immigration services. For more information on Visas to Canada and Living In Canada, visit www.MigrationExpert.com/canada/ today.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>