John Ibbitson suggests that the Trudeau government's drive to attract international students puts pressure on the postsecondary education system and diminishes public approval of immigration.
While many of these students benefit from a quality education, some find themselves in less-than-stellar private colleges, prioritizing work permits over education.
This has unintentionally weakened support for immigration, with research indicating that many Canadians believe immigration levels are excessive.
Interestingly, a recent poll found that many newcomers feel Canada admits too many immigrants, which could impact the Liberals' appeal among this group.
#Liberals, #immigration_to_Canada, #Immigration_Levels
May 7, 2024
Quebec Premier François Legault, concerned about the decline of French in the province, has proposed limiting economic immigration to French-speaking immigrants by 2026.
His worries are backed by a report showing complaints to the Office de la Langue Française have tripled in five years. The report also shows a decrease in businesses using French as the sole greeting language on Montreal's island, from 84% in 2010 to 71% last year.
This decline and a housing affordability crisis have led to anti-immigrant sentiment despite Quebec welcoming over 52,000 new permanent residents last year.
#Quebec, #French_language, #Montreal, #Legault
May 7, 2024
In 2023, Canadian companies ramped up temporary foreign worker recruitment despite a surge in unemployment.
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program saw a record high of over 81,000 roles filled in Q4 2023, following its 2022 revision.
Around 240,000 job vacancies were filled throughout the year, marking a 7.5% increase from 2022 and doubling the number from 2018.
As a result of this growing reliance on foreign labour, the government is tightening regulations.
The government has set a goal to limit the number of temporary residents to no more than 5% of the total population within the next three years.
#TFWP, #foreign_workers, #unemployment, #labour_shortages, #statistics
April 26, 2024
In Manitoba, workers and students aiming for Permanent Resident status through the MPNP program are growing frustrated. Changes in Canada's immigration landscape have cast uncertainty on their prospects.
Despite past promises, the government isn't obligated to grant status in 2024. IRCC granted 9,500 nomination certificates to the province this year, with 20,000 to 27,000 expressions of interest (EOI) in the MPNP pool. Manitoba hosts over 47,000 individuals with temporary status.
To streamline processes, MPNP is expanding its team and budget, prioritizing applicants with expiring work permits (PGWP or CUAET) and showing flexibility to Ukrainian applicants encountering document hurdles.
The province advises using the Skilled Worker Webform for Work Permit Support Letters but can't provide provisional ones due to IRCC Regulations.
Additionally, Mabitoba acknowledges the possibility of applicants needing to leave Canada temporarily during the application procedure.
#Manitoba, #MPNP, #Ukrainian_newcomers, #Ukraine, #PGWP, #CUAET #application_processing
April 26, 2024
