Blogging
Party of Canada
Immigration
Agenda
Immigration Principles
The BPOC supports a welcoming and well-managed immigration system for
Canada based on:
i) a fair and transparent process that
earns the respect and confidence of Canadians as well as of the international
community;
ii) compassionate measures to assist in
family reunification;
iii) ensuring that Canada is successful in
encouraging skilled immigrants to make Canada their destination of choice;
iv) a clear and workable process for
immigrants to obtain equivalency for their international skills, training and
experience;
v) addressing the need for adequate
long-term funding for settlement services providers; and
vi) upholding Canada’s humanitarian tradition
of providing safe haven for refugees.
Settlement Support
The BPOC wants to ensure that immigrants have the
best possible opportunity to contribute to Canada’s economic and social
well-being. Support from settlement organizations and the broader
community plays an important role. A BPOC Government will:
i) work cooperatively with the provinces and
municipalities on policy relating to settlement support for immigrants;
ii) address the need for adequate and equitable
resources to provide language instruction, encourage community
mentoring, build job search skills and offer other settlement services to meet
the needs of immigrants, including children, giving immigrants a chance to
become Canadian, and fully contribute to Canadian society. And as they do then
they open up slots for further immigrants.
iii) work to streamline the funding
process to deliver enhanced funding stability and allow long-term
planning by service providers; and
iv) examine the feasibility of having federal
funds for settlement services follow the movement of newcomers from one
region to another.
v)ensure a difinite knowledge of
Canadian law, especially those concerning deportation and the events
that could possibly lead up to said deportation.
Refugee Determination
A BPOC Government will:
i) streamline the process of validating
refugee claims;
ii) where the Immigration and Refugee Board finds
claimants do not qualify as genuine refugees, ensure such individuals
are escorted from Canada in a timely manner and provided with the information
they need to start the proper process of applying for an immigration permit
from abroad;
iii) give greater priority to refugees
identified pursuant to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees
iii a) Recognise victmes of spousal
abuse as legitimate immigrants, provided certain criteria are met with
regards to abuse, status of individual and conformation to above policies
iv) implement a fully merit-based process
for Immigration and Refugee Board appointments; and
v) develop a refugee appeals process that
is fair and timely.
vi) research and set an agenda to identify the difference
between immigration and asylum whenever asylum is the claim of the applicant
Applications Process
A BPOC Government will:
i) ensure that Citizenship and Immigration Canada
is properly staffed, trained and resourced to improve the processing of people
wanting to come to Canada;
ii) reorganize the applications process so
that applicants are given accurate information about what to expect, are
readily able to obtain information on the status of their files, and are given
service in a considerate and professional manner;
iii) reverse the policy of separating married
couples while the application of the non-status partner is being
processed;
iv) extend automatic Canadian citizenship to
children adopted from abroad by Canadian parents once the adoption is
final;
v) provide options such as the posting of
a bond to allow higher acceptance rates for family visits while protecting the
integrity of the system from queue jumping; and
vi) reduce the need for Temporary Resident
Permits (TRPs) issued by the Minister by making the applications
process more fair and efficient, and make the use of TRVs by the Minister both
transparent and accountable through a process of independent review.
Recognition of International Credentials
A BPOC Government will:
i) work with the provinces to develop, in
consultation with Canadian professional and trade associations, a process to
evaluate standards in countries of origin in order to establish a workable
system for assessing and recognizing credentials and experience;
ii) work with the provinces to develop, in
consultation with Canadian professional and trade associations, criteria for
obtaining equivalent Canadian professional status and transition programs for
integration of immigrants into the Canadian workplace;
iii) require the credentials process to be
disclosed to applicants by immigration staff overseas and on the
Citizenship and Immigration Canada website;
iv) encourage international students
graduating from accredited Canadian colleges and universities to remain and
work in Canada; and
v) develop a better system to identify
Canada’s labour market needs and make the points system more flexible to
ensure these needs can be met.
