The Media Roundup provides links to recent and archived articles, in both English and French, on immigration and diversity appearing in the national and local news. Some international content is also included. Articles are updated weekly.
Francopresse — Allocation pour enfants aux résidents temporaires : les ratés de l’Agence du revenu
L’Agence du revenu du Canada a interrompu des versements de l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants à des résidents temporaires qui y avaient droit. Pour éviter de plonger des familles dans la précarité, l’Agence doit revoir sa communication, estime un rapport de l’ombudsman des contribuables. Les paiements ont été interrompus après l’expiration du statut de résident temporaire dans le système de l’Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC), même si la personne peut encore être admissible à l’Allocation canadienne pour enfants (ACE).
The Globe and Mail — Stakes are high, as immigration program for caregivers set to open with limited spots
On March 31, at 10 a.m., the federal Immigration Ministry will begin taking applications for a program that grants permanent residency to a select number of foreign caregivers already working in Canada. A lot is on the line for Ms. Adlawan, along with thousands of caregivers who say they have limited options to settle in Canada, despite spending years working in the country. Critics say Ottawa is offering relatively few spots to caregivers, compared with the number of immigrants already working in the profession. The risk is that many caregivers will remain in the country but lose their legal status – thus becoming undocumented workers – which puts them at a higher risk of exploitation.
Radio-Canada — Race to login first for Canada’s permanent residency pilot ’like the hunger games’
On Monday, applications open for an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) pilot program that could grant workers like Lastimosa permanent residency — an end goal that is typically challenging for many due to extensive requirements and lengthy waits. Next week’s Home Care Worker Immigration pilot invites home-care workers to apply, however, it’s running on a first come, first served basis and is capped at 2,750 spots in each of its two streams – one for child care workers, the other for home support workers. According to the IRCC, the pilot closes as soon as those spots are filled. While immigration experts in the GTA are welcoming the program, some say the way it’s being administered is creating anxiety among applicants who worry technical glitches or issues with the internet might take them out of the running for a dream they’ve been working toward for years.
CBC News — Sask. reboots foreign worker nominee program with focus on health care, ag, trades
The province is rebooting its Saskatchewan immigrant nominee program with stricter criteria, ending a five-week pause in applications that started after Ottawa slashed the number of available spots for foreign workers in the province. The nominee program is meant to address labour shortages by having immigrants fill vacant positions. The rebooted program moves nominees in three sectors to the front of the line and reworks rules to deal with the federal government’s new, lower nominee allocations for provinces, according to a news release from the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training.
CBC News — Toronto city council sounds alarm on planned federal cuts to shelter funding program
Toronto council is sounding the alarm this week after a new report highlights major federal funding cuts that will hurt the city’s ability to help newcomers who can find themselves relying on local shelters and other services. Gord Tanner, general manager of Toronto Shelter and Support Services, told councillors that the federal government’s planned federal cuts to the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) will drop from 95 per cent this year to 75 per cent in 2026 and 50 per cent in 2027. The federal program is the main source of funding for Toronto’s refugee response, and reimburses 95 per cent of the city’s expenses, the city says.
CTV News — ‘I feel so sad’: English language programs cancelled in Alberta following federal funding cuts
We’re learning more about the impacts of federal funding cuts to language courses designed for newcomers to Canada, with at least two post-secondary schools in Alberta closing their programs. This week, staff at Lethbridge Polytechnic are learning how they’ll be affected once the school’s English Language Centre closes at the end of June, while Bow Valley College (BVC) in Calgary announced it was discontinuing its language programs at the end of April. Saadat worked as a social researcher in Afghanistan before the Taliban forced him to flee to Canada a year ago. BVC announced in late February it will discontinue its Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program at the end of the current term in April, due to funding cuts from Ottawa.
