Transforming Canada’s Immigration System

An overview of the improvements Canada is making to its immigration system, explained by Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

  Transforming Canada’s Immigration System

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Transcript: “Transforming Canada’s Immigration System”

Video length: 4:53 minutes

The video opens with a collage of red and blue boxes that fly off the screen. The title of the video “Transforming Canada’s Immigration System” appears as text on screen.

The video cuts to a close up of the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism facing the camera. Two Canadian flags are in the background. As he begins speaking, his name and title appear at the bottom of the screen.

Minister Kenney: Canada has a proud tradition of welcoming newcomers from around the world to help us build this remarkable, prosperous and free society. And immigration remains essential to our economic well-being. As our population gets older and our work force shrinks, we’ll need the talent and hard work of newcomers to help fuel our future prosperity.

The video shows footage as the voiceover continues. The footage shows a person walking across the street, a person being treated in a hospital, and a woman getting physiotherapy treatment.

Minister Kenney: Since 2006, Canada has welcomed the highest levels of sustained immigration in our history and one of the highest per capita levels of immigration in the developed world.

Footage of a crowded sidewalk is shown, which then cuts to a wide shot of business people in a meeting. Another shot of people walking on a sidewalk appears. The video cuts back to Minister Kenney appearing on camera.

Minister Kenney: As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I know that Canadians’ support of immigration is dependent on our system working in the best interests of Canada and of newcomers, leading to their fast and successful integration.

Minister Kenney: But for too long, we’ve had a passive and rigid immigration system that resulted in unemployment or underemployment for too many newcomers.

The video cuts to footage of people walking on a crowded sidewalk and then in a street market. The video then cuts to a close-up of application forms in a person’s hand.

Minister Kenney: It resulted in massive backlogs with applicants waiting for up to eight years for a decision on their file and it didn’t help us to address many of the large and growing labour shortages that exist in Canada’s economy.

The video cuts back to show Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: That’s why we are taking long overdue measures to create a fast and flexible immigration system. We want a system that is responsive to Canada’s labour market needs, that reunites families more quickly, and that also maintains our proud tradition of offering protection to the persecuted from around the world, all at the same time a system that protects the integrity of our immigration laws by cracking down on fraud and abuse.

An image of Parliament Hill is shown. The video then changes to show newcomers sitting at a table listening to a man who is speaking to them. The video cuts to a child playing on a swing in the park. The video cuts back to Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: We're moving to a just-in-time system that recruits the world’s best and brightest, who have the right skills and experience for Canada’s labour market needs, that fast tracks their applications, and has them coming to Canada within a period of months, instead of years, working at their skill level at or shortly following their arrival. Our new immigration system will match skilled worker applicants as much as possible to fill labour shortages that exist in Canada today.

The video cuts to various clips of people working in different jobs: men and women in a laboratory, two construction workers looking at blueprints at a building site; a nurse talking to someone at a hospital counter, another construction site, and a health-care worker treating a patient. The video cuts to people walking on a busy sidewalk.

Minister Kenney: This will boost our economy and increase economic results for newcomers: better jobs, higher incomes, greater productivity for our whole economy.

The video cuts to show a welder in a factory, first from a wide angle and then a close-up of his face as sparks fly. The video cuts quickly to a plain beige background, on which a collage of red and blue boxes fly off the screen. As the boxes fly off screen, the words “Better jobs,” “Higher incomes,” and “Greater productivity” fade in and out in time with Minister Kenney saying them.

The video cuts back to Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: The Government of Canada is committed to seeing new Canadians realize their potential. That’s why we’ve tripled settlement funding in the last few years so that more people can access free language training and job search skills to help them integrate more quickly.

The video cuts to show a teacher and students in an adult second language class. The video cuts back to Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: We’ve also cut in half the right of landing fee to give a bit of a financial boost to newcomers upon arrival. And we’re taking serious steps to speed up foreign credential recognition, working with the provinces and in turn the professional licensing bodies so to help foreign trained professionals put their skills to good use upon arrival in Canada. 

Minister Kenney: At the same time, the support of Canadians for our fair and generous immigration system is dependent on their faith in the integrity of the system.

The video cuts to various shots of a sign identifying the Citizenship and Immigration Canada headquarters, then cuts to a CIC employee working through applications. The video cuts back to Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: Canadians want to be sure that our immigration system is based on the consistent application of fair rules and that our doors are open to those who play by the rules but closed to those who seek to abuse our generosity.

Minister Kenney: We’re implementing biometrics and information sharing agreements to prevent criminals and those who would pose a national security risk from entering Canada in the first place.

Minister Kenney continues speaking on camera.

Minister Kenney: We’re making improvements to our refugee system to ensure that those who are truly in need of protection will receive it in Canada more quickly, while fake asylum claimants will be also removed from Canada much more quickly.

Minister Kenney continues speaking on camera.

Minister Kenney: We are deporting convicted foreign criminals from Canada more quickly and introducing more serious penalties for criminal human smuggling syndicates.

The video cuts to footage of two small boats in the distance, and then to officials interacting with groups of people on a large boat.

Minister Kenney: We’re taking action against those who try to cheat the system by using fake immigration marriages to enter Canada and those who lie about their residence in Canada to maintain permanent residency or obtain citizenship. 

The video cuts to an airplane coming in for a landing, and then to baggage in an airport. The video cuts back to Minister Kenney on camera.

Minister Kenney: Taken all together, these transformational reforms that we’re implementing will renew public confidence in Canada’s immigration system and renew the promise of Canada as a true land of equality of opportunity for newcomers from around the world. We are creating a system that’s rooted in common sense and fairness—one that opens its doors to the immigrants that our economy needs and those folks who want to come here and play by the rules—and provides newcomers to Canada with the best possible chance of success.

The federal identifier for Citizenship and Immigration Canada appears on screen.

The Canada word mark appears.

The video fades to black.