Assessing the work of the ministry as generally positive, the minister emphasized the high professionalism of its staff – both those in Canada and those working in embassies abroad. Monte Solberg noted that annually 5,000 ministry employees process about two million applications and, in his opinion, their work is one of the most demanding and complex in the public service sector.
Of course, one cannot agree with the minister on everything; there are plenty of complaints about the work of his subordinates. At the very least, the drawn-out timelines for processing cases raise questions, and they can hardly be explained by the high professionalism of the employees of the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Obviously, Monte Solberg himself is well aware of this, as follows from his further remarks, and his bow to his subordinates should be seen more as a display of politeness and a desire not to provoke discontent, because the new minister has to work with them.
So, what problems did the new minister of citizenship and immigration of Canada draw attention to? The most important, in his view, is the speedy adaptation after entering Canada of those who have already received an immigration visa. The minister absolutely correctly noted that at present the situation is far from normal, since the education of many immigrants in Canada is not recognized, and they are forced to work outside their specialty. This applies especially to doctors and nurses, whose shortage is currently felt quite acutely in the country. Therefore, as Monte Solberg stated, he considers changing the situation and easing the procedure for recognizing the diplomas and qualifications of specialists immigrating to Canada to be his priority task. According to him, such work has already begun, and coordination of the conditions for recognizing education obtained abroad is now being carried out with the relevant state organizations.
Speaking of this initiative, it undoubtedly should yield certain results. At least, there may be fewer problems with the recognition of qualifications for newly arriving immigrants, although they are unlikely to disappear completely. In my opinion, the reason for the non-recognition of diplomas and qualifications of specialists from abroad lies not so much in the unwillingness of the relevant Canadian authorities to recognize foreign education, but in the complex system of licensing specialists in Canada itself. The same situation with the shortage of doctors in Canada is caused precisely by the fact that it is very difficult to get into medical school, and it is also not easy to obtain a license. And it is unlikely that doctors from abroad will find it easier to do so – here one should rather think about changing the very system of Canadian licensing. Nevertheless, work to provide new immigrants with the opportunity to work in their specialty can significantly make their lives easier, albeit not for all.
Another priority task the minister considers is reducing the state fees paid by newly arriving immigrants. In particular, the Conservative government plans to halve the Right of Permanent Residence fee – 975 Canadian dollars – which is paid by every adult applicant before entering Canada. Thus, in Monte Solberg's vision, arriving immigrants will have more money to adapt in Canada.
Undoubtedly, extra money never hurts, however, to be honest, we are talking about amounts that are unlikely to affect the budget of newly arriving immigrants in any way. Against the backdrop of how much they must bring with them and what the costs of living in Canada are, this amount is unlikely to save anyone. Nevertheless, the very approach is important, which indicates a desire to make life easier for immigrants arriving in Canada.
It should be noted that in the minister's speech, the idea ran like a red thread that the process of adapting new immigrants to Canadian society must be accelerated and the necessary conditions created for this. That is why the timelines for processing applications for immigration visas should be shortened, the network of English language courses expanded, programs developed to provide mentoring for immigrants in their workplaces with the aim of adapting to new working conditions, and similar procedures.
It is hard to say how successful this work will be. Unfortunately, not everything is so simple, and the matter is not limited only to recognizing one or another education or providing the opportunity to study the language on free courses. Ultimately, the decision to hire a specialist is made by the employer, and here his personal preferences and his own assessment system come into play. Moreover, the problems of immigrants are not limited to finding a job; there are plenty of them besides that.
Undoubtedly, both Monte Solberg and other officials from Canadian state bodies find it difficult to understand the situation in which a new immigrant finds himself, since they have not gone through it themselves, but form their opinion on the basis of speculative conclusions, surveys, and statistics. Obviously, in this way it is difficult to find the right directions for helping new residents of Canada. This situation largely gives rise to skepticism regarding forecasts that the proposed initiatives will bring noticeable improvement. However, something else is important here: the government understands that by attracting immigrants, it cannot leave them to their own devices, since as a result, instead of benefit, it will get only problems. And we hope that this approach will still make adaptation easier, and that the government will pay more attention to the initiatives of the immigrants themselves, who know better what they need.
And finally, the most important thing that was said in the minister's speech, although it was not particularly highlighted by him. He stated that Canada needs immigrants. This allows us to conclude that, at least during Monte Solberg's tenure as minister, Canada's immigration policy will not change, no restrictions on admission are expected in the near future, and the favorable situation that has developed today will continue for some time.
The only question is how long Solberg will remain as Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and what plans those who come after him will have. The fact is that now voices are increasingly being heard in favor of changing the very principles of Canada's immigration policy.
For example, not long ago, the influential newspaper Toronto Star published an article by Alan Thompson, who specializes in immigration. In it, he voiced the idea that the approach to attracting new immigrants that has developed over the past 15 years, with an emphasis on the Skilled Workers category, may not be working as intended. He says that it is necessary to take into account the selection priorities that were adopted in Canada before the early 1990s (when the emphasis was on the Family Class category), and which have proven themselves successful, judging by the results of current statistics of those who settle best in Canada. Perhaps now it is worth thinking again about attracting primarily those who have family ties in Canada. In addition, Thompson proposes to seriously reconsider the current approach to selecting skilled workers under the Skilled Workers Class, making selection criteria more flexible for a new type of migrant - those who see Canada as a good place to work and temporarily live, but not necessarily as a place for permanent residence.
These statements deserve serious attention, since Thompson knows the situation in government circles well, and his articles usually reflect the 'behind-the-scenes' sentiments of those who may determine Canada's immigration policy. It is possible that this is how the preparation of Canadian public opinion for a change in immigration policy is beginning.
As always, giving at the end of the article my assessment of the current situation in the field of immigration to Canada and making a forecast about its development prospects, I will repeat that the present moment is favorable for those who plan to obtain permanent residence in Canada. The processing time for the immigration process under the Skilled Workers category is currently about one year, which is generally not bad. One can hope for its reduction, as well as for the situation for newly arriving immigrants to become easier, if Minister Solberg's initiatives are implemented. However, how long this situation will last and what will happen in a year or two is unknown. It is possible that the situation could change radically, not in favor of those who think of Canada as a place to live or as a safety net for themselves and their families in the future.
Elena RYABININA.
«Russian Toronto»