Canada is seeking economic migrants,” according to Raphael Girard, Assistant Deputy Minister of International Operations in the Immigration Department, Immigration officials are going to Asian, Middle Eastern, and Western European countries, as well the western United States, looking for economic migrants, he said. This new policy “reflects the government’s desire to attract fewer family class immigrants and: more immigrants who bring in significant capital and will adjust more easily to Canada’ rapidly changing economy,” other official sources added.
As part of the drive, officials recently went to Bangalore to recruit professionals in high-tech fields. They organized seminars there and in other parts of South India, which attracted “several hundred people.” Fifty were said to have applied for landed immigrant visas.
The Immigration Department is also doing extensive promotion in the form ‘of. ads in newspapers and trade journals, asking people with knowledge of English or French and several years’ experience in their professions “to take a closer locke at Canada.
The ads say: “You will discover career and lifestyle opportunities that are second to none, Come to Canada. Fulfill your career aspirations and share the unique quality of the life ‘Canadians enjoy.”
The candidates sought include “skilled workers and business people.” The promotional material is given out even with visitor visas.
According 1o official statistics, in the next five years the proportion of family class immigrants will shrink to 41 percent from the current 51. Economic immigrants—business people, skilled workers and their families—will increase from 43 percent to 53.
Last year Canada received 218,976 immigrants, down from 255,725 the previous year. The number of business immigrants also declined from 8,290 in 1993 to 6,897.
We’re largely planting the seed for future migration to get a significant number of people thinking about moving,” Girard said.
He conceded that the recent imposition of a $975 landing fee per immigrant had made Canada a “harder sell, but it hasn’t noticeably curtailed the flow of applications.”
The promotion is also being conducted by provincial governments when their representatives go abroad for business seminars. They work along with officials of Canada Immigration.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 23, 1995
