Increase In Canadian Visas For Provinces

13 Aug 2010

Canadian provinces have been making requests to increase the number of Canadian Permanent Resident visas to be given out this year and same has been approved by Canadian Government. Alberta and other western provinces have been requesting the Federal government to increase number of immigrants eligible for Permanent Residency under the provincial nomination programs. A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said the federal government heard the provinces' concerns and has decided to increase the numbers beyond what was originally promised earlier this year.

The restrictions imposed by the Canadian government on Canadian immigration had attracted criticism after Canada began to experience shortage of workers.

Officials of Canada immigration have agreed on Tuesday to increase Canada visas for migrants seeking Canada immigration each year.

In order to become eligible for getting Canada visa under the Canada provincial nominee program, the applicant needs to have offer of job in Canada before immigrating here.

Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta Immigration Minister feels that such immigrants are considered good for the economy since they are required to pay taxes in Canada immediately after their arrival in addition to filling shortage of workforce in Canada.

Allowing immigrants into Canada seems to be a viable solution for solving the issue of permanent labour shortages in Canada and is a right step, reiterated Lukaszuk.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada initially set a target of allowing between 240,000 and 265,000 immigrants into Canada this year, and is balancing the number of Federal Skilled Worker applicants with the provincial nominee targets as well as working to drastically reduce the wait times for processing applications.