T. Scott Murray – Competency-based Certification can Transform Canada’s Immigration System
From: T. Scott Murray To: Immigration observers Date: April 4, 2024 Re: Competency-based certification can transform Canada’s immigration system Canada’s newly animated conversation about immigration highlights the need to re-focus on recruiting more qualified immigrants and then providing them full opportunity to apply their skills. It’s a longstanding issue and we need to change how Canadian educators and regulators […] Canada’s immigration system isn’t living up to its potential. Here’s how to fix it – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Canada’s immigration point system is designed to select for skilled individuals who have the potential to contribute to our country’s economic growth and meet its evolving labour needs. Since the mid-2010s, it has yielded improvements in the overall labour market outcomes for immigrants.
However, recent policy changes warrant immediate attention – especially as the role of skilled immigrants has become increasingly vital. Compared with similar countries, it’s evident that there are several missed opportunities and systemic challenges hindering our immigration system from reaching its full potential and enhancing the well-being of all Canadians.
Canada and Australia, in particular, share similarities in their skilled…
Mahboubi, Robson – Please Don’t Leave: Retaining Immigrant (and All) Talent
From: Parisa Mahboubi and William B.P. Robson To: Canadian human capital watchers Date: February 23, 2024 Re: Please Don’t Leave: Retaining Immigrant (and All) Talent Surging immigration numbers are top-of-mind for Canadians. But as we reconsider targets for newcomers and address pain points such as housing, we also need to pay attention to talent retention. Tens of thousands […] Quality Over Quantity: How Canada’s Immigration System Can Catch Up With Its Competitors
Canada’s immigration point system is designed to select skilled immigrants who have the potential to contribute to the country’s economic growth and meet its evolving skills needs. However, Canada faces challenges in fully leveraging increased immigration levels to enhance the well-being of Canadians due to weaknesses in capital investment and a quantity/quality trade-off in […] The other immigration problem: Too much talent is leaving Canada – Globe and Mail
Surging immigration numbers are top-of-mind for Canadians. But as we reconsider targets for newcomers and address pain points such as housing, we also need to pay attention to talent retention.
Tens of thousands of people leave Canada every year, many of them talented and entrepreneurial people we will miss. Importantly, a significant fraction are themselves immigrants, which may mean we are missing an opportunity to boost Canada’s long-term growth and prosperity.
A recent study by Statistics Canada, using a data set that combines detailed immigration department data with a Canada Revenue Agency database, highlights the significant phenomenon of emigration among immigrants in Canada. The overall…
Mitzie Hunter – Canada Needs to Rethink Immigration
From: Mitzie Hunter To: Immigration observers Date: February 12, 2024 Re: Canada Needs to Rethink Immigration In the 1970s, my family left our Jamaica home and arrived in Canada, enamoured with Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s vision for a welcoming and multicultural nation. Despite many challenges, including more than a little cold weather and snow, my parents’ hard work […] Tingting Zhang – How to Solve the Canadian Work Experience Hiring Conundrum
To: Labour force observers From: Tingting Zhang Date: January 26, 2024 Re: How to Solve the Canadian Work Experience Hiring Conundrum Immigrants contribute to Canada’s economy in many ways, but the country fails to utilize their talents to their full potential. For newcomers, requirements for Canadian work experience are a significant hindrance to their integration into the labour […] Canada must stem the surge in temporary foreign workers and international students – Globe and Mail
Recent years have seen an unprecedented increase in Canada’s non-permanent resident population, far surpassing increases in annual admissions of new permanent residents. The unbalanced growth in Canada’s temporary and permanent migration inflows will inevitably result in a growing undocumented population and forced deportations. Both developments risk inflaming Canada’s immigration politics and undermining public confidence in the immigration system.
It is imperative that the government take immediate steps to stem the continuing growth in foreign student and temporary foreign worker entries.
Several factors have contributed to the non-permanent resident (NPR) population surge, including ad-hoc programs aimed at expanding…
William B.P. Robson – High Immigration and Low Investment Won’t Boost Living Standards
From: William B.P. Robson To: Federal Economic Ministers Date: November 22, 2023 Re: High Immigration and Low Investment Won’t Boost Living Standards Immigration is driving a historic surge in Canada’s population. At the same time, Canadian wages and living standards are stagnant. That is a bad combination – and, worse, it is not a coincidence. Here’s the link: Business […] Higher immigration without business investment lowers Canadian living standards – Globe and Mail
Immigration is driving a historic surge in Canada’s population. At the same time, Canadian wages and living standards are stagnant. That is a bad combination – and, worse, it is not a coincidence. And here’s the link: Business investment is so weak that the stock of productive capital per worker in Canada – the buildings, tools and software they use – is falling. More workers and less capital are putting Canada on a path to a low-productivity, low-wage economy.
Polls show that most Canadians think of immigration as a driver of economic progress. Until recently, that belief was well founded. Immigrants earn less than Canadian-born contemporaries when they first arrive – so, crunching the numbers, recent arrivals…
Mahboubi, Lotin – Housing and International Student Numbers – Some suggestions
From: Parisa Mahboubi and Henry Lotin To: Canada’s Immigration Watchers Date: October 3, 2023 Re: Housing and international student numbers: Some suggestions. As Canada grapples with surging housing demand, the federal government is exploring solutions to limit the influx of international students. Two strategies have been under consideration: setting a cap on international student visas and introducing a […] Mikal Skuterud – Who’s Working in Canada? Why We Don’t Really Know
From: Mikal Skuterud To: Labour Market Observers Date: September 15, 2023 Re: Who’s Working in Canada? Why We Don’t Really Know In 2022, Canada’s population grew by more than 1 million people for the first time in its history. Although Ottawa’s ambitious targets for new permanent residents receive much attention, the reality is that 58 percent of 2022’s record-breaking […]