Canadian Immigration & Multiculturalism

History of Canadian Immigration

• Canada's population has always been increased by immigration
• Historically, Canada relied on Europe, especially Britain, excluding certain nationalities
• Current immigration is characterized by visible minorities because of new laws and policies
• No one is excluded because of race or ethnic origin

Multiculturalism

• More immigrants leads to more diversity
• Canada is no longer bicultural
• In 1971, multiculturalism policy was introduced
• Canada is made up of people from many different cultures
• Citizens are helped to protect and enhance their cultures
• Festivals and first language classes enhance citizen's cultures
• Respect and equality for all is also enhanced

Immigration Act of 1978

• The 1960s and 1970s was a time of economic boom, and more immigrants were needed
• The Immigration Act of 1978 was introduced to attract skilled, educated immigrants
• It was also introduced to reunite families, accept refugees, and allow quicker citizenship

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002)

• There are four categories of immigrants: economic, family, refugee, and other
• Economic immigrants include skilled workers and business people
• The family class includes relatives of people living in Canada
• Refugees include those escaping persecution, torture, or cruel and unusual wars, natural disasters
• Extraordinary cases that do not fit into the other categories are usually for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

Immigration Objectives

• Immigration seeks to pursue social and economic benefits
• Immigration looks to respect bilingual/multicultural character
• Immigration supports the development of official language minority communities
• Immigration supports a prosperous economy, reunites families, and allows for successful integration by recognizing mutual obligations

The Need for Immigrants

• Immigrants are needed due to demographics and characteristics of populations
• Immigrants are needed for labor force growth, referring to the "labor force" or the number of people who can work
• By 2025-2030 the birth rate will equal the death rate
• In 2016, the number of retiring workers equaled new workers
• Immigration ensures a growing population and a growing economy

The Point System

• Only economic immigrants must qualify under the point system to enter Canada, as of 1967
• 67 points are needed to qualify
• Prospective immigrants must pay an application fee of approximately $1000
• They must also prove that they are in good health and have no criminal record
• Applicants can be refused if their condition poses a risk to other Canadians or would put excessive demand on the healthcare system
• Every economic immigrant must provide proof of good health
• An applicant may be refused if their health could put Canadians at risk, such as an example of tuberculosis
• An applicant may be refused if their conditions could endanger public safety, for example, mental disorder
• An applicant may be refused if their health could put excessive demand on the healthcare system like with HIV/AIDS

Point System - Disadvantages

• The first applicant in is the first to be processed
• It is difficult to prioritize applicants because everything was done on a first come, first serve basis
• Potential applicants were not always matched with the job openings in Canada
• It takes an average of 12-14 months to process an application

Express Entry

• Express entry began in January 2015
• Skilled foreign workers have access to express entry
• Express entry is a new electronic application management system
• Express entry applies to Canada's key economic immigration programs
• Rather than the first in line, Immigration Canada selects candidates that are the best qualified
• Express Entry candidates with a valid job offer or Provincial/Territorial nomination will quickly be invited to apply for permanent residence
• A new Job Bank will connect Canadian employers with a pool of skilled foreign national candidates if they cannot find Canadian or permanent residents to do the job
• Processing times of six months or less is a benefit to express entry candidates
• Express entry uses a comprehensive ranking system (CRS)
• CRS ranking allows the highest-scoring Express Entry candidates to be invited to apply regardless of when they entered the Express Entry pool, instead of processing on a first-come, first-served basis
• The CRS is divided into four components: core/human capital factors (out of 500 Points)
• Spouse/common-law partner factors (out of 40 points) are another component
• Skill transferability factors are out of 100 points
• Additional points for a job offer are out of 600 points
• The maximum is 1200 points
• Step 1 requires filling out the Express Entry profile and completing the CRS
• Step 1 requires registration with Job Bank and promoting yourself
• Step 1 requires and being accepted into the Express Entry Pool
• Step 2 is to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
• Candidates with a job offer or a provincial/territorial nomination are given additional points to ensure they are issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA)
• An applicant much apply for permanent residence online within 60 days
• The initial application fee is $550 per adult, $150 for children
• The right of permanent residence fee is $490.00 per adult, and there is no fee for dependent children
• A medical exam and security check is still needed before being allowed to enter Canada

Changes in Policy

• In the past, Canada favored immigrants of British ancestry and restricted immigration from Asia (China and India)
• Currently, no one is excluded because of race or country of origin

Komagata Maru

• The continuous journey clause of the Immigration Act stated that only direct travel from India would be permitted
• This type of passage did not exist, so there was no immigration from India
• In 1914, the "Komagata Maru" was turned back to India, where some passengers were killed protesting for Indian independence from Britain
• Stephen Harper apologized in 2008

Chinese Head Tax

• In 1885, a $50 prohibitive fee was placed to come to Canada
• By 1903 it went up to $500
• Eventually, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1923, stopping all Chinese immigration
• By 1947, Chinese Canadians had the right to vote
• In 2006, Harper apologized, and survivors or widows got $20,000 (220 people)

Canada's Policy Towards Refugees

• A refugee is someone fleeing from any danger or form of persecution
• Canada began offering refuge to specific world crises in 1951
• The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act commits Canada to an ongoing international commitment to protecting refugees
• Canada offers refuge to people facing persecution of any kind (1976)
• Refugees can resettle in Canada in two ways: The federal government works with the United Nations to bring refugees from camps, and private sponsors can also bring refugees to Canada
• All refugees will require the necessities of life, such as government assistance, language training, and job training

Objectives of Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

• The goal of this act is to save lives as well as offer protection
• This act fulfills and affirms Canada's commitment to protect refugees
• This act grants fair consideration to people claiming persecution
• This act offers refuge to persecuted people because of race, religion, and political membership, and to people facing torture or cruel and unusual punishment

Singh Decision

• Satnam Singh (1985) sought refugee status but was rejected under the Immigration Act, 1976
• Singh was not allowed to state his case or appeal the decision
• The Supreme Court made the decsion that this violated Section 7 of the Charter (security of the person)
• People claiming refugee status now have the right to a hearing and have to be physically present in Canada
• These claimants need the necessities of life while they wait for their hearing, which is paid for by the government
• The Immigration and Refugee Board was created to hold these fair hearings

Current Issue: Asylum Seekers from the USA

• The average cost per asylum seeker crossing into Canada outside of legal border points is $14000
• The total cost per year to the Federal Government is $400 million
• People who enter Canada at an official border from the United States cannot make a refugee claim in Canada because of an agreement between the two countries
• Thousands of migrants are therefore crossing the border unofficially

Immigration and Collective Rights

• The assembly is an organization created to protect the rights, claims, and treaties of First Nations
• They oppose immigration because Canada addresses its need for skilled workers and professionals by allowing immigrants to fill these roles
• They feel the government should focus more on education, training, and job opportunities for Aboriginals
• Aboriginal peoples are partners in Canada and hold collective rights
• Treaties and agreements are made to work together with the government to share in prosperity
• Some first nations continue to face health, education, and employment challenges linked to poverty
• These challenges create obstacles for individuals to participate in Canada's economy

Immigrant Languages

• Mother Tongue: The native language of a person
• Immigrants are moving into Canadian urban Centers
• They are bringing language, culture, and tradition with them
• By the early 2000s, 80% of the population was urban compared to 37% in the early 1900s
• This trend is continuing today

Provincial Influence

• The Provincial Nomination Program allows provinces to "nominate" a percentage of immigrants they would like to receive based on their skills
• This can speed up the immigration process
• It also matches worker skills with provinces that have those labor needs
• It allows some provinces to set up immigration offices in other countries, for example, “Come to Alberta” instead of “Come to Canada”
• However, the law cannot require immigrants to stay in a particular location

Alberta's Needs

• Alberta receives 17% of Canada's immigration _ Three cities (Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver) account for 68% of yearly immigrants
• Alberta has labor shortages in all reported industries
• Construction and Transportation report over 90% in worker shortages
• Manufacturing, Resource Development, and Retail report over 80% in worker shortages

Canada-Quebec Accord

• The federal funding is $200 million for settlement assistance in Quebec for language training
• Quebec is allowed to require immigrants to send their children to Francophone schools
• 75% of French-speaking immigrants settle in Quebec, but that's only 5% of all immigrants
• Overall, more non-francophones settle in Quebec than Francophone immigrants
• Quebec will receive a percentage of immigrants that is proportional to its population within Canada each year
• Canada's population is 35 million
• Quebec's population is 8 million
• 8/35=0.228 or 23%
• Under the agreement, Quebec should receive 23% of immigrants into Canada
• Quebec currently receives 18% of all immigrants to Canada

Permanent Resident to Citizen

• Immigrants become permanent residents of Canada and enjoy the same rights as other Canadians, except voting and full mobility rights
• They must obtain a permanent resident card
• To apply for citizenship, immigrants must have lived in Canada for 3 out of the 5 years before a person submits their application
• Those between 18 and 64 year olds must take the citizenship exam
• The citizenship test is in English or French only
• The test is 30 minutes long
• The test has 20 questions that are either multiple choice or true or false
• The test taker needs to get at least 15 out of 20 questions right to pass the test

This lesson explores Canadian immigration history and its impact on multiculturalism. It examines the shift from European-focused immigration to the inclusion of diverse nationalities under new laws and policies. The lesson also highlights the 1971 multiculturalism policy and the Immigration Act of 1978.