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.
Le Droit – L’Ontario veut faciliter l’accès aux permis d’exercice pour les immigrants 21 octobre
L’Ontario est sur le point de déposer un projet de loi qui permettrait aux immigrants d’obtenir plus facilement un permis pour exercer des professions qui correspondent à leur domaine d’expertise. Le ministre du Travail, Monte McNaughton, a déclaré que le projet de loi, s’il était adopté, empêcherait de nombreux organismes de réglementation d’exiger des immigrants qu’ils aient une expérience de travail au Canada pour obtenir un permis.
Reuters – Canada Will Look to Make More Temporary Migrants Permanent, Minister Says
Canada may extend the deadline of a program created this year to give temporary residents working in key sectors a route to permanent residency, and is considering expanding the program’s eligibility to include refugee claimants, Canada’s immigration minister told Reuters on Thursday. More than 14,000 of the 20,000 spots in the healthcare stream of a temporary-to-permanent residency program announced in April were unfilled this week ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline.
CBC News – Without Health Care or Sick Leave, Migrant Workers and International Students Say They Feel Exploited
Migrant workers and international students in Newfoundland and Labrador say they face a constant cycle of unpaid sick leave and a lack of health care, usually while working minimum wage essential jobs. And more often than not it leaves them struggling to pay the bills and causes immense stress when they’re faced with a medical issue, according to some who know the challenges first-hand.
CBC News – Refugees Struggling with Rents Almost $300 More than Housing Allowance
The Immigrant and Refugee Services Association of P.E.I. has had to add a third reception house in Charlottetown because it needs more places to temporarily house refugees. Rising rents and low vacancy rates have made it a struggle for IRSA to find places for refugees landing on P.E.I. to live. At the end of 2020, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment on P.E.I. was $815. Resettlement Assistance Program worker Alexa Reid said the shelter allowance was $539, with a $200 supplement available in special circumstances.
Toronto Star – These ‘First of Their Kind’ Ontario Changes Could Get More Skilled Immigrants Working in Their Actual Fields of Expertise
The Ontario government is unveiling a new plan to help get immigrants working in the fields where they have expertise. Legislative changes to be introduced Thursday would force some professional regulators to drop Canadian work-experience requirements from their licensing criteria – and to speed up processing times.
National Post – Thousands of Hong Kongers Apply for New Canadian Immigration Programs Amid Crackdown
Thousands of Hong Kong residents have applied for special new work permits and permanent-resident programs offered by Canada amid China’s crackdown on the city, federal statistics reveal. More than two dozen Hong Kongers have also requested refugee status here since the beginning of last year, unusual for a jurisdiction that in the past was rarely if ever a source of political asylum seekers.
