When it comes to deciding upon a country to immigrate to, nothing can beat Canada. It is one of those few nations in the world that actually considers its immigrants an asset. When compared to the immigration process followed by other developed nations, Canada is more flexible and an easier destination to immigrate to and settle down.
Canada has been accepting a high number of new immigrants year after year. This year, the country would see around two hundred and sixty-five thousand fresh immigrants seeking better opportunities in the country. This number is going to be the highest in the last fifteen years. Adding to this, the Minister for Canadian Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney emphasized on his promise to maintain the immigration program in Canada.
One of the reasons for the nation’s popularity amongst immigrants is its recently introduced Speedy Application Processing. More than three fourth of the immigrants who come to Canada become a citizen of Canada. This makes the country have the highest level of naturalization in the world. The main reason behind this is the rapidly short periods of time for application processing. It only takes around 12 to 18 months for the application to be processed unlike in other countries where it takes a few years.
The system followed by the Canadian officials includes different divisions with each division catering to a particular Canadian visa. However, since 2008 all the visa applications, irrespective of the type of visa applied for are being sent to the Centralized Office in Nova Scotia. This ensures a further reduction in the time required for processing. Although, the office varies depending on the type of visa applied for.
Based on the current requirements in the local market, priority processing is allotted to the relevant visas. These are based on the skill shortages which lead to the lack of the necessary workforce to fill in the gap.
Other important reasons for the nation’s success amongst immigrants are its High Standards, Safe and Multicultural Ambiance. Being one of the richest countries in the world, it offers excellent facilities in the form of infrastructure and other services. This leads to some of the aspects being taken for granted and does not require extra expenditure to be spent on. It offers for good social services in the form of a proper health care system and other necessary amenities.
Having a multicultural society makes it easier for an immigrant to settle down. It is easier to find people from different ethnicities living together in one community. There are more chances for an immigrant to find people of his own ethnicity. Additionally, such societies are very liberal in nature. So, one is permitted to practice one’s own customs and traditions without posing difficulties to the other.
The dual language community offers one to select a place wherein one could easily select a place of convenience to live in. With this, safety is the most important issue for any immigrant moving to Canada with his family. One can find lesser crime and murder rates when compared to other nations. Laws regarding Human Rights are given greater consideration than others. The nation has four different bodies catering to the same. Additionally, it permits marriage for same-sex couples as well.
Sustained Economic Growth is another aspect that attracts prospective immigrants to Canada. Despite the recession, Canada is one of those very few countries that have had its economy in a sustainable mode. With its stable economy on growth, projecting employment on a full-time basis has increased constantly in the last few months.
The population is another issue which ensures that a good number of immigrants walk into the country to make up for the employment and the numbers in general. With more and more people reaching retirement age, it might lead to a hiatus in the employment rate with no workforce to be placed. Thus, the lack of human resources is another aspect that makes sure that the numbers are met via the process of immigration. These Demographic Factors are one of the main reasons for the reduction in trade and purchasing power which might affect the Canadian standards of living. Immigration is the shortest and easiest way to cater to this issue.
Skill Demand is another factor for which immigration is the answer. There are certain specific industrial sectors that the Canadian government has recognized. The Government of Canada has been unable to find qualified and skilled workers to work in these sectors. For this purpose, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has come up with a Priority Occupation List which lists all the occupations that are in need of skilled workers who could contribute to the economy of Canada. This list is updated on a regular basis based on the needs of the economy.
Flexible parental sponsorship laws for permanent residents and citizens with the quick processing of such applications (often within 3 to 4 years) means that family reunification is quick and fast.
To conclude, it can be said that productivity is captured by the nation via the process of immigration. More so, it is of mutual benefit to both the immigrants who are getting better opportunities as well the nation which is booming its economy. And, so immigrants play the role of further building the nation and the key to its culture and economy.
