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.
CBC News – Quebec Making it Difficult for Asylum Seekers to Get Permanent Residency, Advocates Say
In the three months since the federal government launched a program to provide permanent residency to some asylum seekers, the number of people living in Quebec who have been approved can be counted on one hand. Out of 462 asylum seekers who have been able to complete the process, only three live in the province, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Advocates say it’s proof the Quebec government is making things too difficult for applicants.
Toronto Star – Express Entry Applicant in Limbo Disappointed by IRCC Response to Concerns
Eddie Song is a permanent residency applicant living in Winnipeg. He applied through the Express Entry program in February of 2020 and obtained a nomination from the Province of Manitoba. However, his and seven other applicants’ stress levels began to climb when there was no change to the status of their applications for over a year. NCM took their concerns to the IRCC to find out why the applications were delayed, why they were routed to a small IRCC office in Etobicoke, Ont., and how can there be a backlog.
Toronto Star – He Passed His Canadian Citizenship Test — Then Came a Call Saying There Was a Problem
Yaseen Alshehadat said he carefully followed each step to proceed with his citizenship exam before writing the online test in late February. The Mississauga man was relieved when he got an email from the immigration department right away congratulating him for passing the test. But the next day, Alshehadat received a call from an immigration official informing him that his exam result was invalidated because the image of his OHIP card, the piece of photo ID he used for the test, did not register in the system.
CTV News – Permanent Residency Holders Stuck Abroad Will Be Able to Come to Canada Once Restrictions Lift, Feds Say
International permanent residency holders who have not been able to come to Canada because of COVID-19 travel restrictions will be allowed into the country even if their confirmations have expired, a spokesperson for the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino told CTVNews.ca. The emailed statement said that global migration has been “upended” by the pandemic, and acknowledged that travel restrictions have had a “significant impact” on Canada’s immigration system.
CTV News – ‘We Are Overjoyed’: Court Temporarily Halts Deportation Order for Mother of Young Child
A Colombian-born mother says she is overjoyed after a federal judge temporarily stayed her deportation from Canada, which could’ve meant separation from her daughter for two years.“We are overjoyed. Words are not enough for me to express what this means to me,” Diana Parra Bedoya told CTVNews.ca. Immigration lawyer Tyler Goettl explained that “the court recognized the importance of fully considering the psychological effect of separating a child from a parent.”
ICI Nouveau-Brunswick – Ottawa facilite l’arrivée de certains travailleurs étrangers temporaires
Les travailleurs étrangers temporaires des secteurs de l’agriculture et des pêches n’auront pas à s’isoler à leur point d’entrée au pays, mais devront quand même faire une quarantaine de 14 jours à proximité de leur lieu de travail, selon le ministère des Affaires intergouvernementales. Ottawa devra cependant approuver le plan de chaque province avant de donner son aval à cette exception.
