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.
Globe and Mail – Canada’s Permanent Resident Application Backlog Is Forcing Thousands of Skilled Workers to Quit and Return Home
Thousands of highly skilled immigrants who in previous years would easily have qualified for permanent residence in Canada are being forced to return to their home countries as their work permits expire – the result of a backlog created by federal policy decisions intended to boost immigration during the pandemic. Many of them are former international students who landed jobs in Canada mid-pandemic, during a critical labour shortage. Now they find themselves in limbo, waiting for opportunities to apply for permanent resident status – opportunities that may never arrive.
CBC News – International Students in Sask. Say Decision to Lift 20-Hour Work Cap Should Be Made Permanent
International students in Saskatchewan say Ottawa’s move to temporarily lift the cap on hours they can work off campus each week is good news, but some want the change to be permanent. On Nov. 15, the federal government will remove the ceiling of 20 hours of off-campus work per week while classes are in session. The pilot, in effect until Dec. 31 of next year, is an effort to address the country’s labour shortages.
CBC News – Alberta Ending Immigration Detention Arrangement with CBSA
Alberta is ending its agreement with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to incarcerate immigration detainees in provincial jails. The agency says Alberta gave it notice to cancel the contract, though the Alberta government won’t confirm or deny that. Under contracts with CBSA, many provinces imprison migrants for administrative reasons, even though they are not accused of a crime. These foreign nationals, including asylum seekers, are subjected to the same conditions as the prison population, a practice that violates international law.
Radio-Canada – Emprisonnement des migrants : au tour de l’Alberta de rompre son contrat avec Ottawa
Le gouvernement de l’Alberta met fin à son entente avec Ottawa en vertu de laquelle la province acceptait d’incarcérer des détenus de l’immigration dans ses prisons. L’Agence des services frontaliers du Canada (ASFC) affirme que l’Alberta lui a remis un avis d’annulation, une information que le gouvernement albertain refuse de confirmer ou d’infirmer.En vertu de contrats conclus avec diverses provinces, l’agence fédérale envoie dans des prisons provinciales des migrants détenus pour des raisons administratives liées à leur dossier d’immigration.
Radio-Canada – À l’ombre de Roxham, des migrants font le chemin inverse
Les voyages illégaux de migrants du Canada aux États-Unis se multiplient depuis quelques mois par l’entremise d’une filière mexicaine, selon une enquête de CBC/Radio-Canada. Une sorte de chemin Roxham. À l’envers. Qui sont ces migrants? Comment arrivent-ils au Canada? Qui les conduit ensuite jusqu’à la frontière? Et pourquoi utilisent-ils cette voie pour entrer aux États-Unis? Une partie de ces réponses se trouve dans la décision prise par le gouvernement de Justin Trudeau, au début de son premier mandat, de mettre fin à l’obligation d’avoir un visa pour les ressortissants mexicains.
Calgary Herald – Afghans Languish in Hotel Rooms While Ukrainian Refugees Are Quickly Settled: Advocate
Refugees, primarily those from Afghanistan, are being stranded in Calgary hotels due to skyrocketing rents, limits to assistance and racism, says an advocate helping newcomers. There’s far more willingness in Calgary to offer rental accommodation or temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees than there is for those from Afghanistan, said Anila Lee Yuen, CEO of the Centre for Newcomers. “We’re seeing factors of systemic racism . . . When people are asked, ‘would you take in an Afghan family’ and they say ‘no,’ there’s issues with that,” said Lee Yuen.
