The government has recognised that the immigration process is not working as well as it should. Suitably qualified migrants often wait too long to have their applications approved. The government intends taking quick action in three areas relating to immigration.

• The first deals with credential recognition. A new agency will be formed to speed up the recognition of foreign credentials. One of the goals of the new agency is to cut through the red tape that marks the present system.
• The second priority addresses the big expense that many newcomers face on arrival in Canada. The Right of Permanent Residence fee is to be halved.
• The third priority deals with citizenship. When Canadian parents adopt foreign-born children these children will become Canadian citizens - provided the adoption is legal and in the best interests of the child.

Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration spelt out the priorities today in Toronto.

He said that Canadians pride themselves on their fairness.

• Yet it is not fair that a highly educated professional from another part of the world should be driving a cab because his or her credentials aren’t properly recognised.
• It is not fair that a foreign-trained doctor should spend years charting a course through a maze of rules and regulations before he or she can find suitable work, despite the growing shortage of doctors and nurses in Canada.

“Many newcomers have trouble finding work relevant to their skills and experience. Their underemployment is a drag on Canada’s productivity. More than that, it is a human tragedy that should not be allowed to continue,” Mr Solberg said.

The minister said it should be the government’s duty to knock down barriers preventing skilled newcomers from having their credentials recognised.

20 Mar 2006