Media Roundup

La revue de presse fournit des liens aux articles récents et archivés, à la fois en anglais et en français, sur l’immigration et la diversité lesquels ont été publiés dans les média locaux et nationaux. Il y a également des articles internationaux. Cette section est mise à jour hebdomadairement.


Toronto Star – Ottawa Not Expecting Czech Refugee Claims to Surge

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says he is confident Canada won’t see a spike in refugee claims from the Czech Republic after it lifts its visa requirement. The restriction against Czech nationals — an effective tool in controlling the inflow of refugee claimants — will be removed in coming weeks as part of the recent Canada-European Union Trade Agreement, said Alexander.  In 2009, when Ottawa imposed the visa condition upon travellers from the Czech Republic, it immediately grounded the influx of Czech asylum seekers, mostly Roma, from 2,213 to 70 a year. On the other hand, when the visa restriction on applicants from Hungary was removed in 2008, the number of refugee claims skyrocketed from 281 to 2,417 within one year, peaking at 4,432 in 2011. Alexander believes that new changes made by the government last December to expedite the processing of asylum claims are enough to prevent a repeat.

http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2013/10/21/ottawa_not_expecting_czech_refugee_claims_to_surge.html

OHS Canada – Ontario Migrant Workers Win Healthcare Extension

The Health Services Appeal and Review Board (HSARB) has reaffirmed its decision to allow extended healthcare coverage for Ontario migrant workers in extreme medical cases, following an appeal by the provincial Ministry of Health. The initial decision, on Aug. 16, resulted from the case of two Jamaican workers, Kenroy Williams and Denville Clarke, who had been seriously injured in a road accident in Aug. 2012. […] According to a press release from  Justicia for Migrant Workers — a Toronto political collective that intervened to assist Williams and Clarke — the employer tried to have the pair sent back to Jamaica before they could receive sufficient treatment for their injuries. […] The provincial government appealed the HSARB’s initial decision, arguing that the two men didn’t meet the requirements for extended OHIP coverage because they didn’t have work permits. But the board upheld its previous decision.

http://www.ohscanada.com/news/ontario-migrant-workers-win-healthcare-extension/1002665473/

Canada.com – Federal Government Launches Business Incubator Immigration Visa

The federal government is expanding its new start-up visa program for immigrant entrepreneurs even though it has yet to issue a single visa since the program launched six months ago. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced Monday a new business incubator immigration stream to complement existing venture capital and angel investor streams. As part of the program, entrepreneurs seeking permanent residency in Canada must first gain the support of an angel investor group, venture capital fund or new business incubator before they can apply for the start-up visa.

http://o.canada.com/news/national/federal-government-launches-business-inclubator-immigration-visa/

Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Celebrating Citizenship Week, Putting Canada First

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today invited Canadians from coast to coast to coast to take part in Citizenship Week 2013 activities happening in communities across Canada. […] Alexander delivered his remarks at a special citizenship ceremony at the base of the CN Tower. It was the first of 58 such ceremonies across Canada this week where more than 4,400 people will take the Oath of Citizenship for the first time. Many more Canadians will participate in reaffirmation ceremonies nationwide.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-10-21c.asp

Times Colonist – Sri Lankan Migrants From MV Sun Sea Face an Uncertain Fate

One man is facing a deportation order to Sri Lanka, which his lawyer is fighting amid revelations two other asylum seekers from the MV Sun Sea were imprisoned, one brutally tortured, after they were sent back to that country. Another man is in jail facing human smuggling charges that have been found by one trial judge to be unconstitutional. That decision is being reviewed by the B.C. Court of Appeal. They’re examples of the myriad legal challenges facing the federal government’s aggressive stance on 492 Tamil asylum seekers who came to Victoria on the MV Sun Sea on Aug. 13, 2010. The Conservative government vowed to challenge the refugee claims of many Sun Sea passengers and prosecute people who organized the ship’s voyage from Thailand, in order to send a strong message to human smugglers.

http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/special-report-sri-lankan-migrants-from-mv-sun-sea-face-an-uncertain-fate-1.665767

Canada.com – Philippines was Canada’s Greatest Source of Immigrants in 2012

Mercan is believed to be the largest of about 50 Filipino employment agencies who help locals prepare their documents for Immigration Canada and counsels them on life in Canada. Every morning at least 100 people show up at Yazon’s Manila office to ask about becoming temporary workers, caregivers or some other category of workers eligible to settle in Canada. Many more than that make contact every day via the Internet. […] While generally satisfied with the Live-In Caregiver Program, under which Filipinos provide about 90 per cent of the nannies and care-workers who come to Canada to care for children and the elderly, Alexander said his ministry was studying whether it was necessary to keep the “live-in requirement.” There would also be tweaks to the program to ensure that those claiming to be caregivers were qualified for such work, that there were additional protections against abusive employers and that a processing backlog of three years before they could become landed immigrants was sharply reduced.

http://o.canada.com/news/philippines-was-canadas-greatest-source-of-immigrants-in-2012/