Immigration is becoming a hot topic in the upcoming federal election, as Canada’s major political parties scramble to win immigrant votes.
Already, a variety of election promises are being made by all parties, but the Conservatives are leading the way as they fight to gain more seats in the ethnic urban communities of Ontario.
The latest Conservative campaign promise is that the party, if allowed to remain in power, would offer loans to immigrants to help in transferring their skills and credentials to the Canadian labour market.
Foreign credential recognition has long been a hot topic for policy makers trying to woo immigrant voters. Thousands of professionals from engineers to doctors enter Canada each year and find themselves unable to work in their field of specialty.
Government loans could help skilled immigrants to pay for the training required to become certified in Canada. Loans are not readily available to newcomers who have no credit history in this county, and many federal education funding programs do not cover professional certification.
Source: National Post