INNOVATIVE PILOT PROGRAM TO ASSIST REFUGEES
Citizenship and Immigration Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Winnipeg Private Refugee Sponsorship Assistance Program with the province of Manitoba and the city of Winnipeg.
Under the pilot program, the City of Winnipeg has set aside $250,000 of municipal funds which can be accessed to cover refugee support in circumstances including those when a private sponsor is no longer able to meet its commitment.
The refugee cases sponsored by Winnipeg organizations under this program would be a combination of named and unnamed refugees. A named refugee is a person identified and referred by non-governmental organizations for sponsorship on behalf of the person’s relatives in Canada. An unnamed refugee is a person identified and referred by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to non-governmental organizations as a refugee who may have no relatives in Canada but needs to be sponsored. The three levels of government hope to initially admit 250 refugees under the pilot program.
CANADA AND THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN SIGN IMMIGRATION AGREEMENT
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Government Relations, have signed a new agreement on the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.
The five-year Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement on Provincial Nominees, replaces an earlier pilot agreement, allows Saskatchewan to nominate up to 200 economic immigrants each year.
Saskatchewan will nominate potential immigrants depending on their ability to contribute to the provincial economy and their likelihood of successful settlement. Canada will remain responsible for issuing immigrant visas to provincial nominees and their accompanying dependants after they have met all legislative requirements.
The Government of Canada has provincial nominee agreements with Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon.
CANADA AND MANITOBA RENEW IMMIGRATION AGREEMENT
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Manitoba Minister of Labour and Immigration, agreed to extend the Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement until October 22, 2003.
A highlight of the renewed agreement is an amendment to increase the allocation under the Provincial Nominee Program. It allows Manitoba to identify and nominate individuals with the potential to provide significant economic benefits to the province.
“Since its inception, the Provincial Nominee Program has been an important tool in recruiting and retaining skilled immigrants,” noted Minister Barrett. “Canada and Manitoba have now agreed to an annual allocation of 1,500 nominees, plus their accompanying family members. This is a considerable increase from the original 200 allotted in 1998.”
MILITARY AT THE US CANADIAN BORDER
Senator Trent Lott who will chair the US senate in the next Congress has called for militarization of the US and Canadian borders.
If you have any questions about Canadian Immigration laws please contact Leonard Pearl at our Canadian office (lpearlvisalaw@sprint.ca or 905-764-8767).
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. The information provided in this article has not been updated since its original posting and you should not rely on it until you consult counsel to determine if the content is still valid. We keep older articles online because it helps in the understanding of the development of immigration law.