In the shadows of the 2006 Statistics Canada census data came the release of the 2007–2008 Report on Plans and Priorities for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The census and the report unanimously reflected one clear message: Canada is and will continue to be dependent upon immigration to fuel its population and to fill its labour shortages.
Not unlike previous years, a main concern in 2007 for our immigration policy makers remains the economic and cultural incorporation of its immigrants. Current waves of immigrants are taking longer and not faring as well economically as previous waves. Over the past twenty years there has been an overall deterioration in the initial earnings of new immigrants relative to average Canadian earnings. This statistic does not bode well for a country that wishes to attract and maintain more skilled immigrants. Nor do the stories of highly skilled immigrant professionals working extensively at lower skilled occupations because their qualifications are not recognized in Canada compliment our immigration program. The issue of prolonged underemployment by members of the skilled immigrant class not only devalues the work and educational history of an individual, but it is also a poor reflection of what the federal Skilled Workers program was expected to achieve on the behalf of all Canadians, new or established.
Will 2007 be the year Citizenship and Immigration Canada resolves the problem of underemployment by addressing the problem of credential recognition? The Plans and Priorities did reiterate our government’s commitment to working with Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), the provinces and territories, and professional associations towards the creation of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office. Yet nothing of this project has been produced since its announcement in March 2006. Immigration Ministers have been referring to its essential role in the immigration process for over two years now. Delays in the production of an agency are not only an contributing factor to the underemployment amongst skilled immigrants across Canada, but are also contributing to the difficulties rural and smaller urban areas are experiencing in attracting and retaining immigrants who would help meet their labour market and population requirements.
Newcomers are unevenly distributed across Canada, as more than 80 percent are settling in Canada's largest cities. The metropolises of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are great gateways for newcomers mainly because they offer settlement services, an established network of family and friends and more importantly they offer a greater number of low skilled economic opportunities. Studies have shown that immigrants who settle in larger cities experience labour market advantages over those who settle in smaller cities, earning upwards of several thousand dollars more annually.
Immigrants are choosing to settle in the larger communities because without the proper credential recognition they remain ineligible to work in their field, and smaller cities do not offer the same number of economic opportunities and networks that can be found in larger areas.
Canada’s immigration authorities cannot hope to tackle the discrepancies in settlement patterns until they have tackled the problem of credential recognition an area of shared jurisdiction with the provinces. Immigrants may be more willing to settle in remote places if they will be able to be employed in the field they are trained in; otherwise, remaining in the urban areas where low skilled work is available “to keep food on the table” remains a better economic alternative.
It is imperative, for the sake of Canada’s future economic standing, to ensure that our immigration programs move beyond what the Skilled Workers program has offered thus far. The federal government cannot afford to limit its role in the immigration process by solely providing provinces with a steady supply of highly educated and skilled immigrants without ensuring that the provinces have the tools and resources necessary to facilitate successful incorporation. Plans and Priorities is challenging the traditional process of how a country interacts with its immigrant population with innovative approaches aimed at facilitating the incorporation of immigrants into the Canadians market and society. CIC has set forth an ambitious agenda, but it is not unreasonable. It is attainable, and its achievement will be essential to Canada’s future.
