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.
Toronto Star – Slow Progress Raises Doubts About Government’s Syrian Refugee Pledge
Last July, a month after the United Nations made a dramatic plea for the international community to step in and accept Syrian refugees, Canada committed to accepting 1,300 of them by the end of 2014. Nine months later, few if any have made their way here and some advocacy groups believe it will be impossible for Canada to fulfil its pledge. The Immigration Ministry says no more than 10 government-sponsored Syrian refugees made their way to Canada in 2013. And it is unclear whether or not these refugees were part of the June pledge. The small number of refugees — government or privately sponsored — to come to Canada to date highlights the long, complicated and sometimes frustrating process in sponsoring refugees from not just Syria, where about two million refugees have fled the civil war, but from other political hot spots as well.
Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada – Communiqué – Attirer de nouveaux arrivants qualifiés au Canada
Les ministres de l’Immigration fédéral, provinciaux et territoriaux (FPT) ont réaffirmé aujourd’hui leur engagement à l’égard du recrutement actif des immigrants de la catégorie économique qui possèdent les compétences répondant le mieux aux besoins de l’économie canadienne. Le ministre de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration du Canada, Chris Alexander, et le ministre albertain de l’Emploi, des Compétences, de la Formation et du Travail, Thomas Lukaszuk, ont coprésidé la réunion des ministres FPT responsables de l’immigration. L’immigration économique a été une priorité principale pour tous les ministres réunis. Les ministres ont convenu de collaborer à la conception du nouveau modèle de recrutement actif, connu sous le nom de modèle de déclaration d’intérêt (DI).
La Presse – Texas: une centaine d’immigrants illégaux retrouvés dans une maison
Une centaine de présumés immigrants illégaux étaient interrogés par les autorités américaines, jeudi, après avoir été découverts dans une petite maison de la ville de Houston, au Texas. Cinq hommes ont aussi été arrêtés, dont deux alors qu’ils quittaient la résidence en voiture, mercredi. Les autorités soupçonnent que la demeure était utilisée par des passeurs pour garder en otages des clandestins qu’ils ont aidés à faire entrer illégalement aux États-Unis en attendant que leurs proches paient une rançon.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada News Release – Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Visits China
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander will travel to Hong Kong and Shanghai this week to highlight the many opportunities that exist for Chinese businesses, students and travellers in Canada. The relationship between China and Canada continues to flourish. In 2013, more than 270,000 visitor visas were issued to Chinese travellers and almost 34,000 Chinese became Canadian permanent residents. For the last 15 years, China has been one of the top source countries for permanent residents to Canada, just one of many indicators of the strong people-to-people ties linking our two countries.
CBC – Refugee Claimants Accuse Lawyer of Misconduct
More than a dozen complainants — many believed to be from Hungary — allege Toronto immigration lawyer Viktor Hohots offered consulting services to guide them through Canada’s refugee process then filed inaccurate or incomplete work. Some allege this hurt their chances of making successful claims, though none of their claims have been tested in front of the law society tribunal.
Washington Post – NY Senate Rejects Immigrant Student “DREAM Act”
The New York Senate rejected a bill Monday that would open up state tuition assistance to students in the country illegally, dashing long-held hopes of immigration advocates and prompting finger-pointing among rival Democrats. […] No Republicans voted for the measure, though all five of their coalition partners in the Independent Democratic Conference voted for it. All but one of the mainline Democrats in the minority voted for the measure. The proposal includes a budget appropriation of $25 million to open up Tuition Assistance Program money for students who are in the country illegally but attend public or private colleges, paying up to $5,000 a year for undergraduates at four-year institutions. Exactly how many would be eligible for the need-based assistance is unclear, but according to a report issued by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, 8,300 such students in the CUNY and SUNY systems would qualify.
