2007
S. Valiani
Canadian Labour Congress
n a letter to the Canadian Labour Congress, received October 10 2007, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC), the Honourable Diane Finley, makes mention of her intention to introduce “a new Canadian Experience Class of immigration.” Confirming what had already been suggested in Budget 2007, i Minister Finley defines the new immigration class as follows:
This class will compliment the current skilled worker stream by supporting permanent residency for some candidates who have established their likelihood of integrating successfully into the Canadian economy through their successful participation in the Canadian workforce. ii (emphasis added)
While the details of the new Canadian Experience Class are not due to be released for another few months, the critical question which arises is the criteria to be used in determining the “successful participation” of temporary migrant workers in the Canadian workforce.
As first raised in the CLC position paper on the increasing use of migrant labour in Canada (March 2006), iii what is likely is that temporary migrant workers will be granted the right to apply for permanent residency upon the recommendation of their employers. More specifically, following a certain period of employment – during which employers will be able to ‘test’ workers for their suitability – some temporary migrant workers, as stated in Minister Finley’s letter, will be granted permission to apply for permanent residency.
This is precisely the recommendation made by the National Citizenship and Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) in a 2006 submission to Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD). While entitled “The Low Skilled Pilot Project,” the submission suggested many of the expansions announced by the federal government in the fall of 2006, under the broader rubric of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
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Pampulitika Agham
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