Ottawa’s Share of Immigrants in Decline as Newcomers Look to Montreal and the West (Audio)

Ottawa’s share of new immigrants continues to decline as newcomers increasingly opt for the economic opportunities of Western Canada or the cultural diversity of Montreal. A Statistics Canada study released last week reveals that the percentage of immigrants who cited Ottawa as their intended destination has dropped to 2.4 per cent in 2012 from 3.4
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Ottawa to Appeal Court Decision Allowing Veils in Citizenship Ceremonies

Prime Minister Stephen Harper vows to appeal the federal court decision allowing women to take the oaths of citizenship while wearing veils; says it is “offensive” that people should hide their identity “at the very moment where they are committing to join the Canadian family.” Read More Source: The Star  
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Ottawa to Relax Foreign Worker Rules at Universities(Audio)

Universities have persuaded the federal government to relax new rules on how they hire temporary foreign workers An agreement was struck earlier this week between postsecondary institutions and the federal government which will give schools flexibility with regards to meeting the new rules that were imposed on employers looking to hire high-wage workers in June
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Should Ottawa Allow the Niqab at Citizenship Ceremonies?

Jason Kenney, the immigration minister in 2011, had banned niqabs during swearing-in ceremonies. Before this ban, wearing a niqab on such occasions had been perfectly acceptable. According to his argument (which he gave in an interview in 2012), taking the citizenship oath is “a declaration of your membership in the community and you do that
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‘Stateless’ Ottawa-Born Man Loses Bid For Citizenship

Ottawa-born Deepan Budlakoti, a 24-year-old who has never lived outside this country, has lost his bid to be declared a Canadian citizen by the Federal Court of Canada. In a decision released Wednesday, Justice Michael Phelan ruled that Budlakoti, born to employees of the Indian Embassy in October 1989, does not have a claim to
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Ottawa Urged to Remove Citizenship by Birth on Canadian Soil

Immigration officials have recommended that Ottawa remove citizenship rights to babies born in Canada to non-citizens and non-residents despite the small number of cases not justifying the costs. The proposal, with inputs from various federal departments, found less than 500 cases of children being born to foreign nationals in Canada each year. The issue of
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Ottawa unveils sweeping changes to foreign-workers program

Employment Minister Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, following a briefing for news media. The is a detailed and sweeping reform by the government, splitting the program in two and imposing a long list of measures aimed at reducing its use for low-wage positions. The announcement
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Canada Provincial Nominee Immigration Programs Overview

Charting Canada's Provincial Nomination Program Immigration Success Story
Under a shared jurisdiction between Ottawa and the provinces, Canada operates a two-tiered immigration system, offering programs for skilled workers, at both federal and provincial levels.   Through a network of Nominee Programs (PNP), almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada with the specific
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