ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2008

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Message from the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism

As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, it is with great pleasure that I present the 2008 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.

Our Government’s vision for immigration is clear: to safeguard the security and integrity of the immigration system, to ensure that Canadian citizenship is highly valued and respected, and to reunite families and maintain our humanitarian obligations to protected persons and refugees, while supporting Canada’s economy. In 2009, Canada intends to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents, including at least 140,300 immigrants in the economic category, 68,000 in the family category, 23,600 protected persons and 8,100 in the humanitarian and compassionate category.

Immigration strengthens and invigorates our society, enriches our culture, supports Canada’s international commitment to protect refugees and contributes to the growth of our economy. Having an immigration system that recognizes and meets the needs of our country is our main goal.

Our Department enjoyed a busy and successful year in 2008, with major legislative changes, increased settlement funding, and new initiatives to strengthen and improve our services and continue refugee support.

The Government passed Bill C-50 which amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to provide more flexibility in processing and managing applications, stop the growth of the backlog and improve our ability to attract people to Canada.

We introduced the Canadian Experience Class, which offers qualifying temporary foreign workers and international students with Canadian work experience the possibility to stay in Canada permanently. This program will make our immigration system more responsive to Canada’s labour market by helping retain those temporary foreign workers and international students who have demonstrated their ability to succeed in Canada.

Recent expansions to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office will provide much-needed support to current and future immigrants who must navigate the Canadian credential system. This service offers a userfriendly approach to assist newcomers in getting their credentials assessed and recognized.

Canadian citizenship continues to build on a centuries-old tradition of love of country, loyalty to our free institutions represented by the Crown and openness towards newcomers. The many citizenship and re-affirmation ceremonies which take place every year across the country are truly remarkable.

This Government passed Bill C-37 to restore and protect the citizenship of our “lost Canadians,” individuals who had lost citizenship or were never considered Canadians due to outdated provisions in the law. Canadian citizenship is valued, and restoring citizenship to these individuals was a priority for the Government.

Canada has a long history of being a choice destination for immigrants, and our immigration system is one of the best known and most successful in the world. Every year Canada welcomes thousands of new immigrants, international students and temporary workers who help develop the economic and cultural fabric of our country.

Recognizing the need for adequate support for newcomers, we have substantially increased the budget for settlement funding services and programs. This funding provides language training along with work and family support, and promotes community involvement, all of which improve newcomers’ success. These services help ensure a smooth integration for immigrants, which benefits Canada economically and socially.

In 2008, we announced that travellers from Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and Slovakia no longer require a visitor’s visa. The signing of the Youth Mobility Agreement with Poland provides wonderful academic, career and cultural opportunities for both Polish and Canadian youth.

This past year we continued to fulfil our humanitarian traditions by offering protection to refugees most in need. In the next few years, Canada has vowed to accept 5,000 Bhutanese refugees. Increased temporary funding of $13.9 million over three years for the Resettlement Assistance Program will help further integrate refugees both economically and socially.

Border integrity and security have also been an important focus. This year’s Budget allocated $28 million over two years for biometric system enhancements for temporary visas, and work and study permits. Working closely with the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency, we will implement fingerprint and live photo technology to help prevent identity fraud and enhance the security of the immigration program.

I look forward to working with officials of the Department in advancing the Government’s agenda.

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

The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism

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