Many individuals know that people who are exempt from the requirement to obtain a Temporary Resident Visa can apply for a Work Permit at a Canadian Port of Entry. What many do not realize is that this extends to people from any country who are returning to Canada after a trip to the United States. Specifically, r. 190 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations states that: (3) A foreign national is exempt from the requirement to obtain a temporary resident visa if they are seeking to enter and remain in Canada solely (f) to re-enter Canada following a visit solely to the United States or St. Pierre and Miquelon, if they (i) held a study permit or a work permit that was issued before they left Canada on such a visit or were authorized to enter and remain in Canada as a temporary resident, and (ii) return to Canada by the end of the period initially authorized for their stay or any extension to it; We have made available for purchase on this blog an internal CBSA Memorandum from March 8, 2007, addressing this issue. The price for this document, which was obtained through an Access to Information and Privacy Act request, is $6.95. Our … Read More
Comparing Immigrant Assimilation in Canada and the United States
The Wall Street Journal was out with a piece over the weekend titled Immigrants Are Still Fitting In. It is a summary of a recent study by the Manhattan Institute which compared immigration assimilation in North America and Europe. The WSJ produced the following chart which summarizes the study’s findings: As the chart shows, the study found that Canada ranks highest amongst Western democracies in terms of assimilation. The study cited the following possible reasons for why Canada might rank ahead of the United States in this regard: Two facets of Canadian immigration policy may help explain the rapid integration of foreigners into Canadian society. First, the path to citizenship in Canada is short and easily traveled. Foreigners face a three-year residency requirement (it is five for legal permanent residents in the United States and as many as twelve in some European countries), and the nation has taken a liberal stance toward dual citizenship since 1977. Second, Canadian immigration policy places a distinct emphasis on attracting skilled migrants. Thirty percent of foreign-born adults in Canada have college degrees, while the rate is 23 percent in the United States and 10 percent in Spain and Italy. Educational attainment is not a … Read More