Small centres will benefit from immigrant influx

Another interesting article at TheStar.com:

Existing studies show immigrants who settle in smaller places experience labour market advantages over those in the larger gateway cities.

In British Columbia, for example, recent immigrant men who settled outside the large cities earned several thousand dollars more annually than their urban counterparts in
Vancouver or Victoria. In addition, the labour force participation rates of newcomers in non-metropolitan areas are similar to those of locals and higher than those of immigrants in Vancouver or Victoria.

A final interesting component of Volpe's proposal is that he wants to "put in place a process that allows for the integration process to begin at the moment an application is deemed to be ready."

This component of Volpe's plan should include foreign credential recognition, job search and settlement assistance. When immigrants can apply their skills and receive decent wages on the day they arrive in Canada, they will not have to rely on the low-wage labour market of large cities as a survival strategy.

Instead, they will have greater flexibility of settling in a wider range of communities.

- the writer concludes: "Let's make sure that plan stays on track."

Immigration overhaul

Ottawa announces overhaul of the current immigration system.

Canada's current immigration levels would rise 40 per cent within five years under a plan that will soon be presented to the federal cabinet, The Canadian Press has learned.

Prime Minister Paul Martin described immigration in a speech this week as key to Canada's economic success in an era defined by low birth rates, an aging population and an ever-deepening shortage of skilled workers.

Read the full National Post article here.

More details can be found in this Globe & Mail article:

(Immigration Minister Joe Volpe) said his department has focused on five themes: Increasing the overall numbers. Providing better service both in bringing in immigrants and issuing visas. Matching immigrants with jobs needed to fill gaps in local markets. That also means allowing potential immigrants to get matching credentials in Canada before they apply, or before they are accepted. Regionalizing so that areas outside major centres can recruit people they need. Mr. Volpe said that many communities envy the numbers that head to Toronto, because they see it as a “wealth-creation dynamic.” Keeping people who are already in Canada, for example by making it easier for people with student visas to stay after they graduate.

Federal AR

Today we had a nice surprise in our mailbox: the letter from the embassy acknowledging receipt of our application has arrived. It seems that everything is OK and a file was opened. Within the next three months we should receive instructions for the medical visit.

New MICC guide "Apprendre le Quebec"

It seems that this new guide helping to prepare for a new life in Quebec is only available in French. Just a bookmark to this PDF so I don't forget reading it.

Canada ranks second behind Australia as world's favorite nation brand

This Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index ranks power and appeal of 25 Nations:

The second quarterly NBI report analyzes the brand values of more countries (25 compared to 11) than the first report published in May 2005. Australia, a new entry in the NBI, has replaced Sweden as the world’s strongest nation brand.
Canada is ranked number two, Switzerland three and the UK is fourth, with Sweden fifth. Overall, the U.S. is now eleventh, rather than fourth; Russia and Turkey remain at the bottom of the overall ranking at 24th and 25th, respectively.

Canada not all about Mounties, mountains and moose?

To some this might be surprising, but Canada has more to offer than Mounties, mountains and moose.

Ontario immigration funding

The Star has an article about Ontario's struggle to obtain federal funding to help immigrants find employment, get language training, move into an apartment or upgrade their qualifications. Read full article here

Quebec's housing affordability improves

RBC's analysis suggests that housing affordability in Quebec is improving:

"Quebec's homeownership costs improved as a combination of weaker housing demand and rising supply put the brakes on house price growth," said Allan Seychuk, RBC economist. "Across our four housing types, prices rose one perc cent or less from the first to second quarter, dragging the annual rate of growth down to the single digits from the double-digit range that prevailed at the end of 2004."

The full RBC Housing Affordability Index report is available online as a PDF file.