Canada seeking to attract more IT professionals

The Canadian IT sector is thriving. Montreal is a global centre for video game companies for example. Last year (2011) alone, the sector grew by 21% creating 8,000 new jobs.


However, the Information Technology Association of Canada has warned that Canada must attract the best global talent in order to thrive. In a recent report, it said 'For knowledge-based industries, access to a rich and diverse talent pool is as vital as a sustainable supply of trees is to forestry.

Finding these people is a growing and chronic challenge due to the coming demographic crunch and an increasing labour market imbalance. Our industry currently runs at virtually full employment and [we expect] that we will be dealing with 106,000 unfilled jobs over the next four years.'
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Canadian government department with responsibility for immigration, says that there are various paths which would enable skilled IT workers to work in Canada.


CIC recommends that IT professionals should apply for permanent resident status via one of the following routes


• The Quebec Skilled Workers Program
This program was largely suspended in June 2012. However, if you are
• Are a temporary resident in Quebec
• Have recently obtained a diploma from a Quebec teaching institution
• You hold a qualification recognised by Quebec
You may still be eligible to apply. According to the Quebec provincial government's Immigration et Communautés Culturelles website, 'Knowledge of French is an important asset'. The site recommends 'If in doubt, we strongly recommend that you check your level of knowledge of French with a recognized organization.


• the Federal Skilled Worker Class
This program was suspended in July 2012. However skilled workers who achieve the required score as measured by the Canadian points-based grid system will be able to apply for permanent residency when the Class re-opens, probably in January 2013. In order to qualify for permanent residence in this class an applicant must either
• have an offer of employment in Canada or
• be skilled in one of a list of 29 trades and skills listed on the CIC website


There are also three routes to apply for a temporary work visa
• The Quebec Facilitated Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Process
(Before an employer can employ overseas staff, it must acquire a Labour Market Opinion (LMO). A positive LMO will show that there is a need for the foreign worker to fill the job you offer and that there is no Canadian worker available to do the job.)
Employers in IT, along with various other sectors, will be able to receive a positive LMO which will entitle them to employ a skilled foreign worker, without having to advertise jobs locally.


• Temporary Work Permit
Any skilled worker who has a job offer from a Canadian employer will be allowed to apply for a Canadian Temporary Work Permit, providing that that employer has received an LMO.


• NAFTA Professionals
US citizens can take advantage of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Area) Professionals program and may receive a Temporary Work Permit if offered a job by a Canadian employer. There is no need for the employer to receive an LMO first. These NAFTA citizens must have experience in IT.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Canada. Please visit our Canadian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/canada.html

New rules for UK nationality applications

As of summer 2012, those applying for British nationality from outside the UK must send their applications to the UK Border Agency in Liverpool, England for processing. It is no longer possible to submit applications in British High Commissions or Consulates in countries around the world.


The only exception to this rule is in Hong Kong where applications will continue to be accepted as before.


All documents provided in support of applications must be originals where possible. You should make every effort to ensure that they are sent by a secure route. If the correct documentation is not provided, your application will be delayed and may fail.


Citizens of various countries are not permitted to send their passports abroad by post.


These countries are


• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Georgia
• Iran
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Libya
• North Korea
• Morocco
• Pakistan
• Russia
• Tajikistan
• Tunisia
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan
• Western Sahara


Citizens of these countries should obtain a copy and have it certified by a notary or solicitor.


Once the decision has been made, your local British High Commission or British Consulate will contact you. If successful, you may be required to attend a citizenship ceremony when your documentation will be returned to you.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please check our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

Canadian immigration minister says he will reform student visa system

Jason Kenney, the Canadian immigration minister, has said that he approves of measures taken by the British government to reform its student visa system and intends to reform the Canadian visa system along similar lines.


Mr Kenney was speaking to a UK newspaper while on a visit to the UK this week. He was asked what he thought about the UK Border Agency's decision to remove the Highly Trusted Sponsor status from London Metropolitan University in August 2012. The decision caused great controversy at the time and caused business and higher education bodies to warn that the attendant bad publicity would damage the UK's reputation as a destination for overseas students to take their degrees. However, Mr Kenney disagreed. He said that, in his view, the decision would, in fact, strengthen the UK's reputation.


The UKBA made the decision on three grounds;
• LMU did not have systems in place to check that students had adequate ability in English to understand a university course
• LMU did not have systems in place to check that students attended their courses
• LMU did not have systems in place to check that students had the right visa to entitle them to study in the UK.


Mr Kenney told Chris Parr of the Times Higher Education supplement that he believed that the decision had been the right one. 'I read the London Met controversy as sending a strong message to that the UK is going to maintain the integrity of its post-secondary brand to international students,' he said.


And he added 'we are intending to go in the same direction. We need to facilitate student study visas for bona fide students going to bona fide institutions. There are many sub-par institutions that are not providing quality programmes and which are mostly facilitating various forms of legal migration'.


Mr Kenney's department, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is responsible for the Canadian government's policy on immigration. Canada has the most active immigration policy of any G8 country. Among the policies it has in place is Canadian Experience Class, a visa programme which sees permanent residence status being granted to graduates of Canadian universities. So far, over 20,000 students have been granted permanent residence.


Canada is keen to attract overseas students but Mr Kenney said that he did not want to sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity; 'If universities just want to go for the fast track and bring in unlimited numbers of foreign students without any regard for the quality of their student life, then I think that's a mistake,' he said.


Many Canadian universities have told the minister that they would approve of similar measures in Canada, he said. 'Some of the more responsible universities in Canada have said to me that they should be careful. Yes, they want to attract foreign students – they enrich campus life and they certainly bring fees – but [universities] want to make sure that they don't end up with parallel communities online.


He said that universities should not take on so many overseas students and that, 'If you're coming from an upper-middle class Chinese family to study in Britain or Canada, your primary focus is to learn English. You shouldn't want to end up in a university where 30 or 40% of the students are Mandarin speakers.'


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in Canada. Please visit our Canadian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/canada.html

A quarter of UK children born to immigrant mothers

New figures released by the UK's Office for National Statistics show that 24% of babies born in the UK last year (2011) were born to women who were born outside the UK.


The ONS said that 'the increase in the proportion of foreign births to non-UK born mothers living in the UK illustrates how the demographic make-up of the UK is changing.' It added that understanding the patterns of childbearing among migrant populations was 'essential for planning services such as maternity provision and schools'.


The figures show that in London, where most immigrants live, 57% of children were born to non-UK born mothers. The five countries from where the most mothers came were
• Poland, (from where 23,000 mothers came)
• Pakistan (19,000)
• India (15,500)
• Bangladesh (8,500)
• Nigeria (8,000)
• Germany (7,000 – though these were predominantly born in Germany to UK service personal stationed in military bases there)


The ONS found that the number of births to UK born mothers remained virtually static between 2007 and 2011. In 2007, there were 603,000 births to UK-born mothers compared to 612,000 in 2011.


However, the number of children born to non-UK born mothers rose by 16% from 169,000 to 196,000. Part of this is explained by the numbers of UK-born and non-UK born women living in the UK. Between 2007 and 2011 there has been a 24% rise in the number of women of child-bearing age living in the UK whereas the number of such UK born women has actually fallen by 5%.


The survey found that fertility rates are much higher among non-UK born than among UK-born populations. The general fertility rate measures the annual number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (often taken to be from 15 to 49 years old. That figure is 60 for UK born women. The figure is nearly 150 for Pakistani-born women and nearly 140 for Nigerian born women. For Bangladeshi-born women the figure is around 110, for Indian-born women around 95 and for Polish-born women around 90.


The survey found that, on average, foreign born mothers have 2.28 children each while UK born mothers have only 1.89 children.

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please visit our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html

Census statistics show Canada is changing due to immigration

Canadian government census figures show that there are now 200 languages spoken in Canada.


The first Canadian census was held in 1871. Since 1956, censuses have been held every five years. The most recent was held in 2011. Analysis of the census data shows that there are now more than 200 languages spoken. 20% of the population (6.6m people) mainly speak a language other than French or English at home. Of these, 6.4m speak 'immigrant languages' and 213,000 speak aboriginal Canadian languages.


90% of those who speak 'immigrant languages' at home live in Canada's cities. 80% live in the six largest cities in Canada.
• 1.7m live in Toronto. This is 32.4% of the city population. The most commonly spoken immigrant languages spoken there are Chinese languages and Punjabi
• 626,045 live in Montreal (16.5%) Most common languages: Arabic, Spanish, Italian
• 711,515 live in Vancouver (31%) Chinese, Punjabi
• Calgary 227,515 (18.9%) Punjabi, Tagalog, Chinese
• Edmonton 165,145 (14.5%) Tagalog, Punjabi, Chinese
• Ottawa-Gatineau 140,675 (11.5%) Arabic, Chinese, Spanish


The census found that a majority of the population (58%, 19.2m people) speak English at home. 18.2% of the population (6m people) speak French at home. The majority of these live in Quebec. However, the percentage of the population of Quebec which speaks French at home is declining. In 2001, 77% of Quebecois spoke French at home. In 2011, this figure had fallen to 72.8%.


A statement issued by Statistics Canada which conducted the census said that English and French 'exert a strong pull as languages of convergence and integration into Canadian society, especially as languages of work, education and the provision of government services.'


Doug Norris of Environics Analysis told the Montreal Gazette 'the immigration patterns we have seen evolve over the last two or three decades that shift away from the European immigration and toward Asia and Latin America….The fact that we ourselves are becoming more diverse…is a real asset to us as a country…I think it strengthens us as a nation.'

Study Migrate offers a variety of programmes in Canada. Please visit our Canadian page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/canada.html

Anti-immigration laws in Arizona 'have damaged state economy'

A new report from the right-wing think tank The Cato Institute has found that anti-immigrant legislation introduced in Arizona in 2007 and 2010 has damaged the state economy. The report, The Economic Case against Arizona's Immigration Laws, was written by Cato Institute immigration policy analyst Alex Nowrasteh.

Nowrasteh analysed Arizona's economic performance after it passed two pieces of legislation designed to make life so uncomfortable for illegal immigrants that they would 'self-deport'. In 2007 the state passed the Legal Arizona Workers Act (LAWA). This law was designed to drive illegal immigrants out of the state by making life economically difficult for them.

LAWA introduced the 'business death penalty' which would force a business to close down if it knowingly employed illegal immigrant labour on two occasions. It also made it compulsory for businesses to check all new staff against the E-Verify electronic database of US workers to ensure that they had the right to work in the US. These provisions, Nowrasteh says, made it expensive and risky for businesses to hire new staff.

Speaking to Alyona Minkovski on her discussion show on Huff Post Live, Nowrasteh said that, after LAWA was introduced in 2007, the number of businesses formed and registered over the next year in Arizona fell by 15% from the number the previous year.

He denied that the slowdown in Arizona was caused by the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market. He said that, in other, similar, states nearby, where there were no anti-immigrant laws enacted, business registrations remained at broadly the same level over the same period.

The problem was made even worse, he said, in 2010 when Arizona introduced Senate Bill 1070. This law attempted to force illegal immigrants out of the state by using police powers to make life as difficult as possible for them.

The two laws led to many illegal immigrants leaving the state. This, in turn, led to a collapse in property prices as property lay vacant, says Nowrasteh.

Shikha Dalmia of the Reason Foundation, another right wing, free-trade think tank told Alyona Minkovski, 'the most vibrant cities are ones where there is a large immigrant presence. It is not smart for cities and states to drive these people out.' She added 'there is an undeniable correlation between immigration and economic vibrancy.'

Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United States of America. Please visit our USA page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/usa.html

The Economist attacks UK immigration policy

The world-renowned Economist magazine has published a scathing attack on the UK government's immigration policy. It says that the government's policies on legal skilled migration and on international students coming to the UK are damaging the UK's prospects in a competitive world.


When it came to power in 2010, the Coalition government headed by the Conservative Party leader David Cameron pledged to reduce net inward migration from around 260,000 per annum in 2010 to 'tens of thousands' annually by 2015. So far, it has had little success.


However, it has introduced a series of measures that are, The Economist claims, having a negative impact on British business.


The Economist says that the government's policies are having the "desired effect" at least to a certain extent – there were 7% fewer Tier 2 work-related visas issued in the year to June and 21% fewer Tier 4 student visas - but says that the costs are unacceptable.


The magazine concedes that the Tier 2 (General) visa cap, set at 20,700, has never been reached. However, it says that this may be because firms are dissuaded from applying for visas by the amount of bureaucracy that an application entails. Multinational businesses are able to avoid the cap by using the Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer visa (the number of these visas issued is up by a third since 2008) but those who cannot use this option have greater difficulties in obtaining Tier 2 visas.


'Business folk complain about the expense and wrangling involved in securing work visas. Firms apply and hear nothing for months. There are tales of annoying rule changes at short notice' according to The Economist.


This is particularly true for the technology start-ups at 'Silicon Roundabout' London's IT hub. Charles Delingpole of Market Invoice, one such firm, says 'we can't spend months and thousands of pounds on something that might not work.'


And the best candidates, who are generally to be found in America, have so many offers that they are not going to commit to a British firm and then wait for a visa. 'Good candidates have better options than waiting five months for a British work visa,' says Dan Crow of SongKick, another Silicon Roundabout start-up.


Other businesses find that they need overseas staff for different reasons. One London architect told The Economist that he lost business in Russia because he was unable to bring talented Russian staff to the UK. 'If you are trying to work overseas, you need to present yourself as an international practice,' he said.


Firms in The City, London's financial centre, are also frustrated by the restrictions on bringing in foreign workers. Chris Cummings of TheCityUK, a financial sector pressure group, says 'The attitude of Singapore is "How can we help you to move here?"'. He warns the government against a complacent trust that finance will not move elsewhere if pushed.


But The Economist says that the most damaging prong of the government's attack on immigration may be the assault on 'export education'. The sector generated £3bn in fees alone in 2010-11.
80% of students have gone within five years of arriving, says The Economist, and those that remain are usually the best qualified of all. They are also more likely to be post-graduate students in science and engineering than European Union ones. . Dan Crow of SongKick told The Economist that half of his staff was from the UK but all the others came to the UK as students.


The Economist warns that recent changes mean that students now have to leave the UK within 60 days of the expiry of their student visa. Under the old rules they were entitled to stay for two years after graduation. This means that the UK is pushing talented people away. These people have many options and Britain should be welcoming them, it says.


Global Visa Support offers a variety of programs in United Kingdom. Please visit our UK page for more information: http://www.globalvisasupport.com/uk.html