Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has thought of a new reform to improve the Canadian Immigration System. By this new system, employers will be able to play a more active role in bringing in new immigrants; and their visas to enter Canada will be processed using a fast-track system. This new idea though has been met with great skepticism. People are of the opinion that such a reform would give more control to the employers.
However, the minister is not fazed. According to him, this new reform would not hand over the reins of the government to entrepreneurs but would just be increasing their role. There will also be different criteria that has to be met by people. Recently talking to Huffington Post, the minister said that this plan by the government will improve the immigration system immensely and will help solve the needs of the labour markets, lest it become a huge waste of human talent.
He also stated that it was unfair to bring in people who had better economic status in their countries of origin and make them face an uncertain future. So the minister’s best solution is to provide an Internet-based system from which employers who faced a labor shortage would be able to select from the pool of qualified immigrants, who could later settle as Canadians.
If the employers find a person who could fit in their company, that person can be in Canada in a couple of months. This way an educated and experienced person can be hired and can still be relevant in the Canadian market.
Minister Kenney also stated that the government would help certain classes of workers to immigrate. It would allow foreign graduates from Canadian universities and temporary workers who have been employed for over a year to become permanent citizens. He also believed that this was his favorite program because those who are hired will not only have degrees and work experience but will also have a job that could lead to their success.
However, skeptics abound. Though many agree that the government should take action to improve the labour market, they are uncomfortable about putting the employers in the driver’s seat of Canada’s immigration system. Peter Showler, former chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, has said that allowing the employers to pick and choose their workers would lead to self-interest on their part and it would not be working in the broader interest of Canada.
Moreover, they would be looking to fill their job vacancies but not in the way of contribution to Canada. Employment is important but it is not the only issue, people argue. Liberal MP and former Citizenship and Immigration Minister Judy Sgro believes that the government and not the employers should determine as to who must be let in. A business can look only at its needs, but a government has to consider several things before letting someone into the country.
But Minister Kenney assures that the government will be at the helm of affairs in the immigration process and ensure that the new immigrants meet several benchmarks including language proficiency and education before the employers even get a chance to be involved. People will also go through the point system and even if they enter the country with a job offer and the company goes under or if the job doesn’t work out, they will still have the skill to find another job quickly.
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