Canadian Immigration

Terms to know:ImmigrationDemographicLabour force growthRefugeeImmigrantEmigrate

People want to come to Canada for many reasons:

Quality of life is high hereShelter for refugees who are pushed from their

homes

The process of people establishing homes, and often citizenship, in a

country that is not their native

country

Immigration is an important part of

Canada’s legislative framework because it affects the quality of life of Canadians and of people who

seek to build a home in Canada

Question to focus on in this chapter:

What criteria does Canada use when accepting immigrants and refugees?

How do the individual and collective rights of Canadians influence immigration laws and policies?

How do provinces influence immigration laws and policies?

Writing task: What factors should shape Canada’s immigration policies the most: economic, political, health or security?

Before we begin…a little history

1775 – the American Revolution brought 50,000 immigrants to Canada. These were American colonists who were loyal to the British crown.

This helped to fuel the French – English tension in Canada.

1815 – 1850 Canada’s population exploded from 500 000 to 2

500 000.Most of these settlers were from the United

Kingdom (England) fleeing the social upheaval due to the Irish Potato Famine during the 1840s

By the end of this period the British had surpassed the French as the largest cultural group in Canada

By 1867 (what happened this year?) the population was 60% British and 31% French

1900 – The Great Migration

The Canadian Government offered free land to immigrants to encourage colonization of the west in order to prevent the US from gaining control

Immigration began to shift from French and British and began targeting German, Dutch, Scandinavian, Polish and Ukrainian settlers

Most of these immigrants chose to settle on the prairies – therefore the west became increasingly multicultural

Post 1945 – The Second Wave

Europeans began leaving their war-torn countries for a better life in Canada

1947 – 1967: special immigrant status for those who had relatives in Canada

Point system introduced – immigrants are given points for age, education, job, skills, demand for their skill area, language

Present

Today, Canada has legislation called the

Immigrationand Refugee Protection

Act (2002)

It establishes categories of who can come to Canada from

other countries to make permanent homes here:

Refugees, Family Class Immigrants and Others.

Using page 167 of your textbook, label the pie diagram below. Be sure to explain each category.

In the space below, record the objectives of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (page 167).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

In the space below, record the objectives of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (page 167).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Pursue social, cultural and economic benefits for all Canadians

Respect the bilingual and multicultural character of Canada

Support the development of minority official language communities in Canada

Share the benefits of immigration and support a prosperous economy across all regions of Canada.

Reunite families in Canada

Promote the successful integration of immigrants into Canadian society, recognizing that integration involves mutual obligations for new immigrants and Canadian Society.

Read the article on page 168 from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. When finished, answer the questions below.

1. What issues affecting immigration are illustrated in our government’s plan?

2. In what ways does the plan attempt to meet the needs of Canadians?

Read the article on page 168 from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. When finished, answer the questions below.

1. What issues affecting immigration are illustrated in our government’s plan?

2. In what ways does the plan attempt to meet the needs of Canadians?

a. Demographic changes where growth will flat line. Immigrants are going to be the sources of growth.

b. Labour growth is essential for economic progress.

Canada population pyramid

How do you think our government decides who gets to come live in

Canada?

What criteria do you think we have in place?

What do you think the criteria

should be?

How do you get in? Canada’s Point System

The point system is part of the criteria Canada uses to decide who to accept as immigrants.

The point system dates from 1967It applies ONLY to economic immigrants

(skilled workers and professionals). Refugee and family-class immigrants do not have to qualify under the point system.

Economic immigrants make up the biggest group

The MAJIC number: 67

Would you make the cut?

Using the scenario provided to you, go to the website below and take the points test. Would you make it?

The pass grade is 67

http://www.cic.gc.ca/EnGLish/immigrate/skilled/assess/index.asp

Problem with points

Definitely.

Every potential economic immigrant must provide proof they are in good health. A person may be refused entry to Canada if:

Their health could put the health of Canadians at risk

They have a condition that could endanger public safety – an example would be a mental disorder

Their health could put an “excessive demand” on Canada’s health services – for example, HIV / AIDS

None of these requirements apply to people entering Canada as refugees or as family-class immigrants.

Does health factor into qualifying as an immigrant?

REFUGEE

A person who seeks refuge in another country because of danger or persecution in their home country

In the space below, record some objectives of the Immigration and Refugee and Protection Act with regards to refugees:

1.

2.

3.

4.

Critical Thinking Question:

What issues might arise from accepting refugees into Canada? Answer this as a S.E.E. statement.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How has immigration policy changed in response to security concerns?Based on the information on page 179 and in

the chapter, why do you believe issues related to security affect immigration policies?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do individual and collective rights of Canadians influence immigration laws and policies?

The Singh Decision:

• Satnam Singh came to Canada seeking refugee status from India•Canada’s gov’t rejected his case and did not allow him to appeal it in person•The Supreme Court ruled that this violated Singh’s individual rights under the Charter and heard his case

The Result:

People claiming refugee status in Canada have the right to a hearing, which they

attend in person.

Canada guarantees quick and fair hearings to refugees.

Canada’s government provides people seeking refugee status with the necessities

of life while they wait for a hearing.

In what ways to provinces influence immigration laws and

policies?

Provincial Nomination Program

Provinces can “nominate” a percentage of the immigrants Canada selects each year. This means, for example, that AB can specify that

it needs immigrants with particular skills.

However, Governments in Canada can’t require immigrants to settle in particular places of work in particular jobs. The Provincial Nomination Program only increases the likelihood that immigrants will settle in the provinces whose labour needs match their skills.

What workers did AB need in 2007?

How does someone gain Canadian citizenship once they have been approved to emigrate to Canada?

You must be 18 years or olderYou must have permanent resident statusYou must have lived in Canada for three of

the last four years (1095 days)You must be able to communicate in one of

Canada’s official languagesAre not currently charged with a criminal

offence or are serving time in prisonYou must pass a citizenship test

Would you make the cut?

On the REACH server is a Canadian citizenship test. You MUST score a 75% in order to earn your citizenship.

There are 80 questions, so this means you must score a 60 out of 80.

Use a scan sheet. Best of luck.

Writing Question:

What two factors should shape Canada’s immigration policies the MOST: economic, political, health or security?

Scenario #1

You are a 27-year old registered nurse from the Philippines. You have a high school diploma and you completed 3-years of university in order to get your nursing degree. You have been working as a nurse for 5-years, but have recently been laid off. You have work lined up with a family in Canada as a nanny. You can read, write and speak fluent English. You will be travelling to Canada alone and have no family to meet you when you arrive.

Scenario #2You are an 42 year old American who has been hit

hard by the current economic recession. You heard that in Alberta, Canada they are still in need of trade workers. You went to a technical institution and aquired your apprentiship in plumbing and have been working as a professional plumber for 20 years. Your wife has family in Alberta and completed an Education degree at the University of Edmonton, so this would be a natural move for the family. She has never worked in Canada, but has been working as a teacher in the US for 15 years. Obviously being an American, English is your first language.

Scenario #3You are an 18 year old Polish man who is looking for

a major move. You are hoping to travel to Canada and start a new life there. You have recently graduated from high school, but have no education past that level. Polish is your first language and most of the English you have picked up is from American television programming. You can speak basic English and understand some, but you can’t read or write the language at all. You will be travelling to Canada alone, but are looking forward to seeing your aunt (mom’s sister) who married a Canadian 20 years ago and moved to Canada.

Scenario #4

As a respected physician in your own country of Sri Lanka, you are confident that the Canada will welcome you with open arms. You hear that the medical system is crying for more doctors and at the ripe age of 53, you are ready for a change in your life after the recent death of your wife. You have 2 university degrees and 20 years of emergency room experience. You speak and understand fluent English, but you would call your ability to read and write the language moderate proficiency. You haven’t yet arranged employment in Canada because you feel that you first must take some English courses to improve on your writing skills. You will be travelling alone to the country and although you have many friends in Canada, you have no family there.