ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2006

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Message from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

I am pleased to present to Parliament and the people of Canada the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) 2006 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.

Immigration has been vital to Canada’s development and its history. Hardworking people and their families have come to Canada from all parts of the world to share and contribute to this nation’s identity. Collectively and individually, they have made a contribution to the development of our economy, our society and our culture.

Immigration continues to play an important role in building our country. Canada plans to admit between 240,000 and 265,000 newcomers as permanent residents in 2007. Each newcomer has a story to tell: whether they are bringing their skills and entrepreneurial talents to help Canada’s economy grow; reuniting with family members; or seeking security and stability.

Canada needs the talent and dynamism that immigrants bring. In an internationally competitive global market for talent, Canada is facing skills shortages at home in particular sectors and in specific regions of the country. Immigration has a role to play in addressing labour market challenges and my goal is to ensure the immigration program better responds to our needs as a country in a way that is fair, transparent and adheres to the rule of law, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. In that vein, we have launched several initiatives in the past year, including allowing foreign students to work off-campus while they study, committing $18 million towards foreign credential assessment and recognition, and establishing temporary foreign worker units to help address labour market shortages.

Equally important to this country is the ability to meet our social and humanitarian goals by reuniting families and offering protection to refugees and other persons in need of protection. Strong families build strong communities. In 2006, legislation was introduced to help grant citizenship to foreign-born children adopted by Canadian families. At times, the need to reunite families results from crisis. When the conflict in Lebanon escalated in July 2006, CIC worked quickly to provide priority visa and immigration services to help close family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, affected by the crisis, reunite with family in Canada. The hard work and dedication of CIC employees, alongside those from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, and other partners, resulted in the Government of Canada’s largest evacuation effort in Canadian history.

In 2006, the Government also announced a number of humanitarian efforts including measures to help victims of human trafficking and welcoming 810 Karen refugees who fled Burma (Myanmar).

If the immigration system is to continue to play an important role, CIC will need to ensure we select the people who will best help our country meet its economic, social and humanitarian objectives. We will also need to strive to have the right programs and services in place to help those people after they have arrived. The 2006 Budget provided $307 million in additional funding for settlement services and reduced the Right of Permanent Residence Fee by half, to help lessen the financial burden for newcomers.

Looking ahead, CIC will continue to look for ways in which its programs and services can meet Canada’s immigration objectives more effectively, and provide services where and when newcomers need them. The Government continues to work with provinces and territories, and other partners, on many fronts including improving integration services, examining regional needs, and enhancing the approach to immigration planning for the long term. Work is also underway to modernize client services to ensure that we are able to maintain the high standard of service for which CIC is recognized.

To succeed, we must make the system work better. Pressures to find solutions to deal with the challenges of large inventories of applicants and using foreign workers to address labour market gaps continue. Managing these challenges and meeting the goals of Canada’s immigration system is the first step in maintaining a balanced and responsive immigration program. CIC will continue to manage these challenges responsibly within a climate of heightened security while working to address the realities and demands of today and tomorrow.

The dedicated employees of Citizenship and Immigration Canada are making great progress in advancing a more integrated, client-oriented immigration program. Given this effort, Canada is well positioned to have immigration play an important role in our future economic, social and cultural development.

For more information on CIC and the work we are undertaking, please visit our website at www.cic.gc.ca.

The Honourable Monte Solberg, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

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