Immigration: Immigration System

Immigration Minister Dept: The question for Canada's immigration minister is: How much is that work worth to the country as a whole? Jason Kenney has been taking evident pride in the fact that in 2010, Canada took in the highest number of immigrants in 50 years. "While other western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, Canada's government kept legal immigration levels high while taking action to maintain the integrity of our immigration system," Kenney said Sunday, according to Vancouver Sun. It's especially perplexing that the target for federal skilled workers is dropping, from 69,500 to 55,900. As Kenney pointed out, a recent evaluation showed that immigrants from that category are succeeding in the labour force. And while the government has been able to cut the backlog in half within the last couple of years, there are still a few hundred thousand people waiting for approval in that category and if families form the foundation of a functioning society, grandparents are the bedrock. They make it possible for young parents to work outside the home. They pass on values and tell stories and keep languages alive and make sure everyone eats a decent meal at least once in a while. But at the same time as Kenney was crowing about the 280,636 new permanent residents in 2010, the latest targets, revealed through an access to information request, show the government plans to reduce the number of newcomers this year to 217,800. Of course, the government could exceed its target -last year's target was about 230,000, well below the actual number -but it's odd to see the targets moving in that direction. As reported in the news.
@t legal immigration levels, access to information request