Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - November 2009
Canada is aiming to reduce the numbers of refugees and family class immigrants in 2010, according to the government targets presented in parliament last week.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that his department has lowered targets by 3,000 for refugees and 8,000 for family class applicants whom are direct relatives or spouses of Canadian permanent residents.
While the total targets remain relatively stable at between 240,000 and 265,000 total immigrants, the government is aiming to attract the majority of those numbers in the form of economic class immigrants whose skills are desirable in Canada.
Kenney has recently taken a hard-line stance on the issue of refugees, saying that Canada will no longer be taken advantage of as a safe-haven for illegitimate asylum seekers. He has promised a refugee system reform package proposal before the end of this year.
Critics, however, are wary of the Governments strategies.
“This minister [Minister Kenney] checked his humanity at the door when he walked in the building,” said Liberal MP Jim Karrygiannis. “He’s bringing in the people who can afford to get passage to Canada.”
NDP Immigration critic Olivia Chow echoed this sentiment when she recently spoke with reporters, saying that these policy shifts will, indeed, affect Canada’s image abroad, but not necessarily in the way that the current Government intends.
Source: National Post
