Canada Helps Foreign Credential Holders

Are you Internationally trained? Need information to get your foreign credential assessed and recognized more quickly? The Government of Canada’s new Foreign Credential Referral Office (FCRO) helps internationally trained find the information and resources they need to have their credentials assessed and recognized.

The services would be a great help for internationally trained individuals looking forward to work in Canada. The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, while inaugurating the services said, “Internationally-trained individuals can now walk into Service Canada centres across the country and receive in-person help on how to get their credentials assessed and recognized. Newcomers want to contribute to our country by working in the fields for which they’ve been trained, and we want to help them do that.” In addition to the in-person services, the FCRO’s approach also includes:

Recently 129,100 Indians made Canada their home

Every fifth Canadian today was born abroad. The Toronto region scores even higher as every second person here is foreign-born and the highest percentage of these are Indians, followed by Chinese and Italians. According to the latest census (2001-2006) figures released Tuesday, foreign born people constitute about 19.8 percent of the Canadian population of 31,241,030. Only Australia has more foreign born residents (22.2 percent) than Canada today. Of the about 1.1 million who moved to Canada during this five-year period, Indians constituted 11.6 percent, Chinese 14 percent, Filipinos seven percent and Pakistanis 5.2 per cent. And they came from 224 countries.

Voices of being a Canadian

source: www.thestar.com

Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, driven by economic policy and family reunification. In 2001, 250,640 people immigrated to Canada. Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. By the 1990s and 2000s, more than half of all of Canada’s immigrants came from Asia. Canadian society is often depicted as being a very progressive, diverse, and multicultural. Accusing a person of racism in Canada is usually considered a serious slur. All political parties are now cautious about criticising of the high level of immigration, because, as noted by the Globe and Mail, "in the early 1990s, the old Reform Party was branded 'racist' for suggesting that immigration levels be lowered from 250,000 to 150,000."

Tips on Canadian Real Estate

As with most countries, Canada offers a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing a place to call home. The choice you make will depend on several factors, including your budget, your space needs, and your desired location. Below are some of the options you may want to consider:

* Room for rent: Some individuals who own a house or an apartment may rent out separate rooms in those dwellings. All of the tenants share the bathroom(s) and the kitchen.

* Studio apartment: These apartments are small and were primarily designed for just one person. Most consist of a single large room that contains the kitchen and bedroom and a separate bathroom.

Canada opens for 2, 65,000 in 2008

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration announced today that Canada expects to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 newcomers in 2008. The target is set out in the 2007 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration tabled today in the House of Commons. The report provides information on immigration activities in 2006 and outlines the immigration plan for 2008. “Our government believes that immigration plays an important role in building our communities and growing our economy,” said Minister Finley. “The immigration targets tabled today will help ensure that Canada continues to grow and benefit from all that newcomers and their families bring to our country.” The Canadian Experience Class, first announced in the 2007 budget and a key element of the government’s long-term immigration plan, will be implemented in 2008 for certain skilled temporary workers and international students with Canadian degrees and Canadian work experience. Once the class is established and for the first time, individuals meeting specific criteria will be able to apply for permanent resident status from within Canada.