Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - October 2009
As the world continues to evolve, including a changing climate, experts believe that more and more people will migrate from dwindling resources to other nations, such as Canada, which contain an abundance of resources.
In a recent report, United Nations Human Development department argues that the flow of migrants into a country is beneficial, not only to the recipient nation, but also to the home country left behind.
The benefits of immigrants to Canada may seem obvious, in that the point system is designed so that most new arrivals are desirable workers with the right skill, education levels and age to become contributing members to our society and economy.
However, once these immigrants have established themselves within Canada, chances are the benefits will be felt in their native country as well, according to the U.N. report.
“When migrants leave poor countries to come to a place like Canada, they tend to send money back to their families,” said a recent Ottawa Citizen editorial on the issue. “These money transfers add up, on a global scale, to an estimated $315 billion U.S. a year. That’s almost three times as much as the OECD countries spend on bilateral foreign aid, but remittances don’t cost taxpayers a dime.”
The trouble facing Canada is learning to make the most out of the opportunities that immigration provides. Recent attempts to recognize foreign credentials could help to more effectively utilize the skills of newcomers. Furthermore, some experts suggest that Canada be more encouraging of competition in the money-transfer industry which would ease the processes for immigrants sending money back home.
The more efforts that Canada puts into improving the immigration system, the stronger it will be in the years to come as a nation that was and continues to be built on immigration.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
