In a recent communiqué, the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced the details of the 'Canadian Experience Class', a new proposition for certain temporary foreign workers and foreign student graduate with Canadian work experience. This proposal will allow an applicant's Canadian experience to be considered a key selection factor when immigrating to Canada. The Canadian Experience Class is part of recent initiatives the government has undertaken to help newcomers succeed and to help make Canada a more attractive destination for skilled individuals from around the world.

The Canadian Experience Class will allow certain temporary foreign workers and student graduates with managerial, professional, or technical or trade work experience to apply to become permanent residents, and eventually Canadian citizens.

In order to qualify, under the proposed changes graduates of a Canadian post-secondary educational institution with Canadian work experience would need to meet the following minimum requirements:

• Temporary resident status in Canada at the time of their application;
• Successful completion of a program of study of at least two academic years (an academic year means eight months of study);
• One year of skilled, professional or technical work experience; and
• Moderate or basic language skills, depending on occupational skill level.

Furthermore, under the proposed changes, temporary foreign workers would need to demonstrate the following minimum requirements in order to qualify:

• Temporary resident status in Canada at the time of their application;
• Two years of skilled, professional or technical work experience;
• Moderate or basic language skills, depending on occupational skill level. Different than the point system with the Federal Skilled Worker Program, these requirements would be based on a pass or fail model.

The Canadian Experience Class was one more measure the Canadian government was proposing to make its immigration system more attractive and accessible to individuals with diverse skills from around the world, and more responsive to Canada's labour market needs, said Minister Finley. This new proposed avenue for immigration would also go further to spread the benefits of immigration into smaller centres across Canada.

When choosing newcomers based on knowledge of Canadian labour market and experience within Canadian society would make Canada a more attractive destination for skilled individuals from around the world, added Minister Finley. International students and skilled workers would be more likely to choose Canada if they knew their time in Canada and contribution to Canadian society would assist in their eligibility to apply to stay permanently.

Additionally, individuals applying for permanent residence through this new avenue could apply from within Canada while continuing to work and continuing to contribute to their local communities.

Canadian Participation in Overseas Job Fairs on the Rise

Canadian participation in overseas job fairs is on the rise as companies and governments alike attempt to offset skilled-labour shortages.

Statistics Canada figures show professional, scientific and technical services hired 37,000 people in June. The sector's job growth has ranked among the highest in the country over the past year and was the only sector that saw a notable employment increase last month.

Kerry Jothen, former head of the British Columbia Government's Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission, says the events were making a difference when it came to recruiting skilled personnel. But that did not result in a huge influx of new employees. Important positions do not seem to be filled through similar exercises in other provinces.

India is probably one of the best-educated workforces on the continent in terms of engineers and operators for our plants according to sources. Sadhna Gupta, an economic immigration specialist with Alberta Employment and Immigration, took part on the most recent trip to India and said the organizers were planning to return this fall. According to her the response had been overwhelming so far and Canada would be the last to leave India. Australia and New Zealand have been in India recruiting very strongly, she said.

Gupta is continually hunting for opportunities to assist employers reach out to places such as India because it is a potential source to help alleviate Canada's labour crunch.

Immigrants Flock to Canada's Smaller Cities where Job Growth is Strongest

New statistics from Citizenship and Immigration Canada suggests that mid-sized cities are beginning to attract an increasing number of immigrants due in large part to shifting economic and employment prospects.

Government initiatives such as the provincial nominee program that allows provinces to select immigrants to fill specific labour needs; and the development of tools that help smaller centres draw and retain immigrants are some of the reasons attributed to his recent shift.

In addition, a booming economy in Western Canada has lead to a surge of newcomers migrating to more rural areas thanks to the provincial nominee and family nominee programs enacted by the Canadian Government.

The figures show the number of immigrants taking up residence in Toronto dropped to 87,136 in 2007 from 99,293 in 2006, a decline of roughly 12 per cent, while the number coming to Vancouver slipped to 32,920 from 36,273, a drop of just over nine per cent. Montreal was up slightly to 38,710 from 38,391.

Meanwhile, Charlottetown was up 73 per cent to 801, Moncton 31 per cent to 343, Saskatoon 40 per cent to 1,618, Winnipeg 10 per cent to 8,472 and Red Deer 93 per cent to 567. It was a mixed picture in British Columbia's smaller centres, with gains in Kelowna, Chilliwack, Nanaimo and Victoria and declines in Kamloops, Abbotsford and Prince George.

Despite these facts the preferred destination for the vast majority of immigrants was larger cities, with 67 per cent of newcomers calling them home.

The main reason for this is that larger cities tend to offer an established community of family and friends and a greater number of economic opportunities, either low-skilled jobs that require few language skills or businesses that cater to particular ethnic groups.

Interestingly, studies have shown that immigrants who settle in larger cities experience labour market advantages over those who settle in smaller cities and they can earn substantially more.

Nevertheless, immigrants have begun to appreciate the advantages of living in a smaller city, away from the congestion, pollution, noise and stress of the big city. Many newcomers enjoy the smaller cities precisely because they are so different from the chaos, traffic and pollution of large cities.