Canada"s Profile
Location: North America
Status: UN Country
Capital City:Ottawa
Main Cities: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver
Population: 33 Millions Area [sq.km]: 9,976,140
Currency: 1 Canadian dollar = 100 cents
Main Languages: English, French,
Main Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant.
Canada benefits from opening its doors to skilled workers,
entrepreneurs, refugees and the relatives of people already settled
in this country. Their energy and activity have traditionally
stimulated our social, cultural and economic life.
Immigration :
The Government of Canada prepares an annual immigration plan
in consultation with the provinces. It seeks to balance various
considerations, including economic growth, family reunification
and humanitarian compassion. Canadians are justly proud of our
reputation for refugee resettlement. Every year, close to 39 million visitors come to Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration staff admits about 240,000 immigrants
including skilled workers, business immigrants, family members
and refugees.
Citizenship and Immigration officers:
process more than 100,000 immigration applications;
process about 100,000 employment authorizations;
grant close to 45,000 visitor extensions;
conduct approximately 20,000 investigations;
supervise the removal of about 5,000 people from Canada who
were in the country illegally; in Canada alone, staff processed over 50,700 student
authorizations (documents issued for new entrants and extensions);
and staff abroad processed 33,200 student authorizations.
Immigration from Around the World :
Not all immigrants came to Canada from Europe. Aricans came
as slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. When slavery
ended in Canada, Aricans came here to escape from slavery in the
United States. Asians also immigrated to Canada. Many of the Chinese and
Japanese immigrants settled in British Columbia and other parts
of western Canada. After both World Wars, people came as refugees from Europe.
More immigrants also came to Canada from Africa, the Caribbean,
Asia and the Pacific Rim. All of these newcomers helped to build
Canada's peacetime economy. Canada's experience during and after World War II raised
awareness of the needs of refugees and the need of families to
be together. All of this has been reflected in Canada's immigration
policies. Many people fleeing civil war, political unrest and
natural disasters have come to Canada. Today, Canada is home to immigrants from every part of the
world. People from more than 200 different countries
came to Canada. The majority were Asians, Africans, South Americans
and Central Americans. One out of every four people in Canada
comes from an ethnic background other than English or French.
Serving the Interests of Canadians :
Enhancing Canadian Citizenship: New procedures have improved
the processing time for routine citizenship applications. Written
tests were administered to standardize the assessment of applicants
language ability and knowledge of Canada. This has also reduced
service delivery times. Building on a new emphasis on community
involvement, citizenship ceremonies are increasingly being moved
from citizenship courts into communities. Canadian Language Benchmarks: A national set of standards
for describing an immigrant's language learning level were developed
in partnership with provincial governments, English as a Second
Language (ESL) teachers and administrators, immigrant serving agencies,
and ESL learners. Selection criteria for skilled workers emphasize education, official language ability
and labor market adaptability. Redesign of the Business Immigration
Program has concentrated on enhancing economic benefit, and minimizing
abuse.
Citizenship :
Once you have been in Canada for at least three years, you
may wish to become a Canadian citizen. Canadian citizenship allows
you to participate in all aspects of life in Canada. As a Canadian
citizen you may:
vote and run for political office in federal and some provincial
elections;
travel outside Canada on a Canadian passport;
enjoy full economic rights; and be eligible for some pension benefits.
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