A newly obtained report from Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides a rare glimpse into the workings of the behind-the-scenes mail-opening program. Under federal legislation, authorities can search international mail and courier packages within Canada, to examine the authenticity of items contained within those packages (such as passports, licenses, and credit cards) in order to determine […]

The post Mail seizures by CIC uncovers fraudulent immigration documents first appeared on CIC News.

A 40-year-old Guyanese woman, who had an affair with a Canadian immigration officer and then sued him for $1 million CDN in damages, dropped the case against her former lover after claiming the case was making her suicidal. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe because of a media ban, had claimed that the immigration […]

The post Woman drops $1,000,000 lawsuit against immigration officer first appeared on CIC News.

OTTAWA, March 21, 2005 — The Government of Canada announced the country’s first ever action plan against racism. “Canada is a world leader in the development of policies and laws to fight racism, but many Canadians still experience racism and discrimination in their daily lives,” said the Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism). “The […]

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OTTAWA, March 7, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced the preliminary figures for permanent resident admissions in 2004. The current numbers for admissions to Canada are 235,808, well within the planned range of 220,000 to 245,000 announced to Parliament on October 30, 2003. Although these are preliminary numbers, they […]

The post Canada welcomed almost 236,00 new permanent residents in 2004 first appeared on CIC News.

Being white and Canadian circa 1967 it was easy to feel smug. Back then, race riots threatened to engulf many American cities but North of the Border the urban landscape was all peace and love.While most of us praised our egalitarianism, a friend from Boston scoffed at our self-righteous ways, noting that our tranquility had […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Look in the Mirror first appeared on CIC News.

Immigration Minister Judy Sgro resigned from her cabinet post on Friday, January 14. during a meeting with Prime Minister Paul Martin. She was replaced by Human Resources Minister Joe Volpe. Ex-Minister Sgro resigned following allegations in a sworn affidavit deposited in Federal court by Toronto-area pizza shop owner named Harjit Singh. Mr. Singh alleged that […]

The post Immigration Minister Judy Sgro Resigns first appeared on CIC News.

CIC is fast-tracking existing applications of Family Class applicants under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act who have been and continue to be seriously and personally affected by the disaster and who have immediate family members in Canada. Priority is being given to spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners and dependent children. New applications under the […]

The post CIC responds to the crisis in South East Asia first appeared on CIC News.

The Ontario government and CIC are jointly investing $3.4 million over two years to support 13 projects under the Enhanced Language Training Initiative. The projects will deliver job-specific language training to more than 1,300 internationally trained individuals to help them make the transition to Ontario’s workforce. “One of the keys to our continued prosperity and […]

The post Increased language training funding for Ontario immigration first appeared on CIC News.

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Natural Resources Minister John Efford announced on January 7 that Canada has accepted the recommendation of an independent report to increase the annual budget of the Canadian Section of the International Boundary Commission to $2.4 million from the current $830,000. The International Boundary Commission is a bilateral treaty organization […]

The post Canada increases budget for international boundary commission first appeared on CIC News.

The Year 2004 ended on a sour note for humans. The images and numbers coming out of tsunami-ravaged South and South East Asia are starkest in the absence of commentary. Read Full Blog on CanadaVisa.com…

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Tsunami in South and South East Asia first appeared on CIC News.

“Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers…” – Blanche DuBois I mean this blog to be of particular interest to Americans who do not wince at the sight of Tom DeLay. I sense some of you are fence-sitting on the issue of establishing a foothold in Canada and are a […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: The Kindness of Strangers first appeared on CIC News.

Question: I am in the process of submitting an application for permanent residence as a skilled worker. Can I be awarded points for unpaid work performed outside of Canada? Answer: No. Work is defined in section 1 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations as : “an activity for which wages are paid or commission […]

The post Q & A: Skilled Worker Application – work experience first appeared on CIC News.

The RCMP has charged five people, among them an Immigration Canada official, with corruption and fraud after several raids in Ottawa. The RCMP are alleging the group received up to $25,000 in fees from at least a dozen Arab immigrants seeking permanent resident status. The arrests are the culmination of an investigation that began in […]

The post RCMP Arrests Federal Immigration Official first appeared on CIC News.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and United States Customs and Border Protection have launched the NEXUS Air pilot project at the Vancouver International Airport. The program is designed to speed up the border clearance process for pre-approved, low-risk air travellers. NEXUS Air uses biometric iris recognition technology to ensure the highest level of border […]

The post NEXUS Air off to a flying start at the Vancouver International Airport first appeared on CIC News.

The Canadian visa office in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, reopened mid- November, and resumed normal operations. The office is doing its utmost to eliminate the delays caused by the recent civil unrest in that country. The visa office is now processing applications for temporary resident visas and study permits from all its satellite offices (Libreville, Yaoundé, […]

The post Embassy update: Reopening of Canadian Empbassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast first appeared on CIC News.

Draft-age Americans and their kin will no doubt be interested in the fate of Jeremy Hinzman, a former paratrooper who deserted from the 82 nd Airborne Division after his application as a non-combatant conscientious objector was turned down. Mr. Hinzman is now in Canada seeking asylum. He is arguing that U.S. soldiers committed war crimes […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: To Thine Ownself Be True first appeared on CIC News.

For a brief time in the mid 1980’s I resided in that jewel of a city, Hong Kong. The Sino-British Joint Declaration had just been signed, meaning that Hong Kong would revert to the control of China in 1997. Brits being Brits, they at the same time let it be known that henceforth most holders […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Plan B for Hong Kongers – Immigrate to Canada first appeared on CIC News.

David Cohen, of the law firm Campbell, Cohen, one of Canada’s leading immigration lawyers, announced the launch of the Canadian Immigration Blog The purpose of this new site is to express personal views on the cross-border movement of people in general and the Canadian experience in particular. Topics which will be touched upon include foreign […]

The post Attorney David Cohen launches Canadian Immigration ‘Blog’ first appeared on CIC News.

Question: I am US citizen who was recently convicted of driving under the influence (D.U.I.). I have heard that this might prevent me from being admitted into Canada. Is this true? Answer: A conviction for impaired driving may prevent you from entering Canada, even if the conviction or guilty plea was treated as a misdemeanor […]

The post Q & A: Convictions for impaired driving first appeared on CIC News.

The Government of Canada has introduced legislation to establish the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). “With the creation of the Canada Border Services Agency within the new portfolio of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Government of Canada is adopting an integrated approach to border management to facilitate the flow of people and goods while […]

The post Canada introduces legislation to establish a new border agency first appeared on CIC News.

A processing factor which continues to feature prominently in Vienna is the requirement to screen for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This applies not only to immigration applicants but to many visitors as well. Approximately fifty five percent of all immigration applicants and just over half of all visitor applicants come from the countries […]

The post Embassy update: Vienna first appeared on CIC News.

Controversy seems to follow some public figures like the smell of cheap perfume. Unfortunately for her, such is the lot of Canadian Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, The Honorable Judy Sgro.Don’t get me wrong. I think her appointment was a wise choice, given her background and the ethnically diverse riding she represents. Moreover, I admire […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Judy Go? first appeared on CIC News.

Finally convinced that the record would show a majority of voting Ohioans do indeed want four more years, I clicked-off the TV. Unable to sleep, I continued my read of Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.” Now there’s a scary combo for those of my ilk. And I’m not even American! Read Full Blog on […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Movin’ On Up? first appeared on CIC News.

The Honourable Judy Sgro, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the launch of Canada’s Citizenship Week from October 18–24, 2004. “Citizenship Week is a time to reflect on the values that speak to the heart of being a Canadian,” said Minister Sgro. “Citizenship Week is intended to help remind all Canadians — young and […]

The post CITIZENSHIP WEEK: CELEBRATING FREEDOM, RESPECT AND BELONGING first appeared on CIC News.

In the first quarter, the flow of foreign workers changed little compared to the same period of 2003, dropping 1% to 18,034 people. While some changes in rank occurred, the top ten source countries for foreign workers were the same as in the first quarter of 2003. The United States continued to rank as the […]

The post Temporary Work Permits – Mexico, France and the Philippines Send More Foreign Workers to Canada first appeared on CIC News.