immigration consultants: Shortly after arriving in Canada, each of the representative plaintiffs learned that there was no job for them at Mac's, Justice Arne Silverman wrote in his reasons for certifying the suit, according to CBC. A disturbing case' Under Canada's temporary foreign worker program, immigration consultants are not permitted to charge fees for job placement and any recruitment costs must be paid by the employer. The four workers named in the suit allege they paid as much as 8,500 each in illegal fees to Surrey-based immigration consultant firms to obtain jobs as temporary foreign workers in Western Canada, according to court documents. The workers allege that as many as 450 people mainly from Nepal and the Philippines had similar experiences when they were recruited by consultants in Dubai. Carmela Allevato is one of the lawyers representing the workers. This is a disturbing case of how low income workers spent their life savings to try to find a better life in Canada through a job at Mac's Convenience Stores but instead found they had lost their money and most had no employment, lawyer Carmela Allevato said in a news release. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

lawn i: As the signs started popping up on lawns across the city, de Groot who grew up in an immigrant family and recently moved to Winnipeg after spending nine years in Haiti is hopeful the gesture will help Winnipeggers embrace diversity and make newcomers to the city feel a little more welcome, according to CBC. If you put the signs on your lawn I think it opens up the possibility for a conversation with somebody who is maybe more scared or maybe who doesn't know about the ... challenges that people have in the countries that they're leaving and the benefits that there are for Canadians when we have a multicultural society, said de Groot. Esther de Groot is selling lawn signs with the words No matter where you are from, we're glad you're our neighbour printed in three different languages as a fundraiser. I just think if we didn't have this diversity, this would be a very different and a very boring place. The idea has since spread around the world, according to the website where de Groot was able to download her own version of the signs to print off here in Winnipeg. Signs started in U.S., since spread around the world The idea for the signs came out of a church in Harrisonburg, Va., which set up the signs in August 2015 to share a positive message in the midst of a national dialogue they felt was negative about immigrants. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

los angeles: Moises Rodriguez, a 28-year-old disc jockey from Mexico, said he agrees with the message and supports Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration, according to Toronto Star. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump However, 21-year-old college student Kevin Alvarado, who is from Nicaragua, said the remarks don't mesh with Trump's previous comments on immigration. Some of the 4,000 people at a ceremony in Los Angeles embraced the message of unity, while others said the words felt insincere coming from the man who has ordered a travel ban and cast Mexican immigrants in a negative light. Article Continued Below Such messages are a key part of naturalization ceremonies. In the message, Trump welcomes citizens and tells them they should teach American values to others and help newcomers assimilate to our way of life. react-empty 158 Our history is now your history. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also produced video messages for use during the events. react-text 148 In a Los Angeles ceremony on Wednesday new American citizens heard a newly recorded message from U.S. President Donald Trump welcoming them to the country and urging them to help others assimilate to help keep the country safe, strong and free. /react-text Jae C. Hong / AP The tone and message of Trump's talk were highly anticipated given his aggressive stance on immigration that has included travel bans from Muslim-majority countries, ending a program shielding nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation, and comments referring to Mexican immigrants as rapists. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mary birdsell: Because of the intersections of the different areas of law and the way that children's rights issues might be understood, or more specifically not understood, we want to make sure that they recognize those intricate ways that those child right issues are woven through the case, even if they're not front and centre, Mary Birdsell, executive director of JFCY told The Chronicle Herald, according to The Chronicle Herald. That's why we are interested in this case. Though Abdoul Kadir Abdi now 23 and the father of a little girl was an adult in 2014 when he committed an assault that landed him a five-and-a-half year federal prison sentence, the circumstances surrounding the case prompted lawyers from Justice for Children and Youth to get involved. Abdi was only six years old when he fled Somalia with his sister and two aunts after most of his family, including his parents, had been killed in the ongoing conflict that has torn the country apart for decades. In 2014 he plead guilty to aggravated assault as well as assaulting a police officer with a car, theft of a motor vehicle, and dangerous driving. He arrived in Nova Scotia as a child refugee, sponsored by Sydney River United Church, in August 2000 and received permanent resident status but never became a Canadian citizen. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

messages: Canada is good, according to CTV. This is not good, he said. Mannan Hamrasho came to Winnipeg with his wife and two kids in February and lives at the property where the messages appeared. Go back to your country. Hamrasho discovered the writing Tuesday. Leave Canada, reads one of the messages. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

mexican immigrants: You look at the track of others things he's said and you don't feel like he's a genuine person to want to welcome new citizens, said Kevin Alvarado, a 21-year-old college student who arrived in the U.S. from Nicaragua as a toddler, according to Metro News. Others, however, appreciated Trump's message of unity especially at a time of political division. For them, the president's remarks welcoming them into the American family and urging them to help newcomers assimilate felt insincere after he previously ordered a travel ban, moved to end a program shielding nearly 800,000 young immigrants from deportation, and referred to Mexican immigrants as rapists. I thought the video was great, said Moises Rodriguez, a 28-year-old wedding disc jockey who came from Mexico and supports Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration. Such messages are a key part of naturalization ceremonies. The fact that it was very important that we educate the people that are coming here to assimilate to what is the American dream I thought that was very important. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minority plight: In less than a month, some 421,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries, as the United Nations and others raise allegations of ethnic cleansing, according to The Chronicle Herald. The Trump administration announced the new funds as world leaders were converging in New York for annual United Nations General Assembly meetings. The new money for food, medical care, water, sanitation and shelter comes as the U.S. joins a growing chorus of international condemnation over the minority group's plight. Vice-President Mike Pence lamented the terrible savagery of Myanmar's security forces as he addressed a U.N. Security Council session Wednesday focused on peacekeeping. The crisis has threatened to jeopardize Myanmar's U.S.-aided shift toward democracy after five decades of harsh military rule. We are witnessing a historic exodus, Pence said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

news conference: We are not in a position where we can say all or none, according to Metro News. We have to save the Dreamers now, Pelosi said at a news conference at the Capitol. Instead, lawmakers must focus on protecting young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, Pelosi said. Dreamers is a term used for young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas. The protesters called for reform that gives legal status to all immigrants in the country, not just young people. On Monday, dozens of protesters disrupted an event in Pelosi's hometown of San Francisco, showing their displeasure over her recent meetings with President Donald Trump over ways to continue the program that protects young immigrants from deportation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

rights commission: The hearings are being overseen by the Quebec Human Rights Commission which is having its own problems as former employees complain about its president, Tamara Thermitus, according to CTV. The Commission will be holding its hearings behind closed doors so that those testifying will be able to maintain some privacy as they share their personal stories. The Parti Quebecois and Coalition Avenir Quebec want the hearings cancelled, with the PQ introducing a motion to that effect on Wednesday. Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil has defended that decision and on Wednesday said, once again, that the hearings will continue no matter what. You can talk to your neighbours, friends, colleagues. It's an absolutely necessary exercise. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

terror group: Through an Arabic interpreter, she urged the judge not to refer to ISIS as a terror group when listing charges against her, but to instead call them the Islamic State, according to CTV. The charges are read as they are listed, the judge replied. Appearing in person for the first time in months, 32-year-old Rehab Dughmosh also indicated her intent to plead not guilty, contradicting statements she made in earlier appearances. When presented with three options as how she should be tried, Dughmosh picked none of the above. By default, the judge said, this action indicated Dughmosh, who is representing herself, elected for a trial by judge and jury. I don't choose anything, she said through an interpreter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

art exhibition: Hugely popular, Shame And Prejudice A Story Of Resilience presented the artists' work along with a selection of historical paintings and artefacts, according to NOW Magazine. A much-needed corrective to the Canada 150 celebrations, the exhibition addressed topics including treaty signings, First Nations' reserves, residential schools and missing and murdered Indigenous women. September 25-27. 6degreesto Kent Monkman's show at U of T Art Museum earlier this year might have been Toronto's most important art exhibition of 2017. Whatever the event's organizers had in mind when planning the sesquicentennial, it probably wasn't this. The monumental painting will be presented for two days September 26 and 27 as part of 360 Bridges at 6 Degrees Citizen Space, an event that asks what citizenship looks like in the 21st century. Now Monkman is back with Two Ships. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ghanem: Privately and briefly, according to National Observer. The former Calgary resident, a handsome 29-year-old Canadian with close-cropped dark hair, was led away. After landing and clearing customs, they were met at the airport's exit by three men in civilian clothes who asked to speak to Ghanem. He did not return. He was about to spend more than a year in an Algerian prison. Ghanem was now in the hands of the DSS, Algeria's state security agency notorious for its use of torture and secret detention. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

beverley braham: In the middle of their circle, where the roads converged, a small table was set up, containing protest representatives, Beverley Braham, her husband and her son, according to Toronto Star. Braham, who is married to a Canadian and now has a Canadian child, balanced her newborn son on her lap as she spoke to press. At 8 07 a.m., organizers strode into the intersection holding signs and megaphones, and joined hands to keep traffic at bay. All I ask is to stay with my family, she said. She was given an extension of three months so that she could have her child, but now Canada Border Services Agency has told her that she must be back in Jamaica by Sept. 21. react-text 148 Artwork by Janine Carrington posted on the Black Lives Matter Toronto Facebook page depicts Beverley Braham with her family. Article Continued Below Braham was first threatened with deportation in March, when she was 31-weeks pregnant. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

co-working space: There will be bands, workshops, interactive activities from Quest Theatre, buskers, multicultural performances such as Bafut Manjong and food trucks throughout the day, according to CBC. This is a family-friendly event that will open the doors for Calgarians to explore the cSPACE arts hub, innovative venue and co-working space in order to experiment, explore and spark change in our city. Enjoy live music and hands-on interactive activities and discover the world of artists, creators, heritage experts, architects, curators, designers and other creative people in our communities. You will want to stick around for the main stage entertainment, emceed by The Calgary Eyeopener's Angela Knight. Programming runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and includes performances by Matt Blais, Transit and Ghostboy. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

congress act: The Democratic governor announced Monday that through the generosity of several local and national funders, no state resident who's in the program will need to pay the 495 application fee to apply for a two-year extension of their status in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA.DACA recipients who are eligible to apply for a renewal of their status must do so by Oct. 5, according to Metro News. Republican President Donald Trump recently announced a plan to end the program in six months if Congress doesn't act to continue it. Gina Raimondo says more than 170,000 has been secured to cover the renewal fees for local recipients of a program that shields immigrants brought to the country illegally when they were children from deportation. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

country: It is the privilege of each citizen to become involved in helping refugees, according to The Chronicle Herald. As a proud Nova Scotian who has always lived and worked in a politically stable and prosperous country, it can be extremely difficult to empathize and imagine what it would be like to live in a war torn country, and losing family and friends, like these people fleeing to our homes for security and hope. By accepting these refugees, our province took on the responsibility of creating a foundation for each of these families to grow the two pillars for this foundation are education and employment. Arriving in a country without necessary language skills, or knowledge of customs and traditions are the first obstacles on their venture to establishing new lives and embracing their new home. Monk hired Ahmad Aljwabreh as a journeyman painter and drywaller, in February. Monk Renovations took the initiative to become involved in the changes to make a positive impact on the life of one immigrant and, hopefully, set an example for other companies. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

deportation order: Protesters locked arms, forming a human wall, while holding signs and chanting Let Beverly stay, according to CTV. Organizers told CP24 that Beverly Braham was recently handed an immediate deportation order scheduled for September 21. All four directions of Yonge and Bloor streets were blocked for about 20 minutes by protesters during morning rush hour, demanding that the 38-year-old Jamaican national be allowed to stay in the country with her husband and new baby. Braham, who is married to a Canadian citizen, is residing in Toronto while she completes a 12-month sponsorship program. While her sponsorship is expected to expire soon, organizers claim the Canadian Border Services Agency are attempting to deport her even sooner. She gave birth to her son two months ago. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leonard cohen: Live blog Here's what happened at the 2017 Polaris Music Prizeq How Lido Pimienta found freedom in music Pimienta, who takes home a 50,000 award, was considered an underdog contender among better-known short listed acts like Feist, Gord Downie, A Tribe Called Red and Leonard Cohen, according to CBC. But she was praised by critics for releasing her album independently on her own label. The Spanish-language independent release which translates to high priestess was picked Monday night by an 11-member jury based on artistic merit; the prize is said to honour the best Canadian album of the year. She didn't even have a manager until two weeks ago. She won this year's prize for her album La Papessa. Lido Pimienta performs during the Polaris Music Prize gala in Toronto on Monday. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

letter monday: South Florida's congressional delegation and both the state's senators sent a letter Monday asking acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke to renew the program, according to Metro News. The lawmakers said damage caused by Irma exacerbates challenges Hurricane Matthew created last year. Haiti was granted temporary protected status after a 2010 earthquake, but the Trump administration has said those immigration benefits will expire in January. Florida lawmakers also have joined a larger group of congressional representatives asking President Donald Trump to grant temporary protected status to immigrants from other Caribbean countries hit by Irma. The status allows immigrants from countries experiencing armed conflict or environmental disasters to legally live and work here. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

passenger: He's streaking out from behind the counter, according to Toronto Star. He's bursting through the door. He's looking out the window. He's raising his arms. And the last we see of Jayesh Prajapati is a blur of red and yellow his Shell gas uniform jacket disappearing out of the frame, at the front passenger edge of what we know is an older model silver Isuzu Rodeo SUV as it peels off in stop-frame slow motion. As if to say STOP!But there's no audio on the surveillance footage. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

policy concern: And the numbers are expected to continue to rise, according to CTV. During a briefing Monday with immigration organizations in New York City, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said based on current trends, Canada could see 40,000 claimants by the end of the year, according to Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, who was in the room. New statistics released Tuesday by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show that as of August, 27,440 claims for of asylum have been filed in Canada, a peak since record highs of between 36,000 and 33,000 in 2008 and 2009. Hussen's office confirmed her account. Nobody is saying that this is going to stop. Given the global forced displacement and forced migration, this is now a public policy concern, Rempel said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

beer: The new restaurant stocks Dubai's most-extensive selection of American craft beer, part of a major 23.5 billion market for customers wanting a different style of ale, according to CTV. It represents a new scene for Dubai, long known as the Manhattan of the Mideast, with chic skyscraper bars serving the fanciest of cocktails while the typical tap offers only the standard lagers. It's also being poured out, one pint at a time. That's starting to change, with establishments like Black Tap and Dubai's two main distributors increasingly stocking American craft beer, breaking new ground among Gulf Arab nations, several of which ban alcohol sales entirely. For wine aficionados, teetotallers or those otherwise unaware, a craft brewery is a small, independent beer producer. In such an eclectic city, we should have such an eclectic range of beers to accommodate instead of just the same beers that you can get all around the world, said Eric Ballard, the group beverage manager for Sunset Hospitality, which runs Black Tap. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

record highs: And the numbers are expected to continue to rise, according to The Chronicle Herald. During a briefing Monday with immigration organizations in New York City, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said based on current trends, Canada could see 40,000 claimants by the end of the year, according to Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel, who was in the room. New statistics released Tuesday by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show that as of August, 27,440 claims for asylum have been filed in Canada, a peak since record highs of between 36,000 and 33,000 in 2008 and 2009. Hussen's office confirmed her account. Nobody is saying that this is going to stop. Given the global forced displacement and forced migration, this is now a public policy concern, Rempel said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

report card: For the latter, committee members would do well to examine a new paper out of Rice University in Texas titled, The Racialization of Islam in the United States Islamophobia, Hate Crimes, and Flying while Brown.' We often hear that because Muslims are not a race, people cannot be racist for attacking Muslims, sociologist and study author Craig Considine is quoted saying in the University's media statement, according to Toronto Star. This argument does not stack up. Its report card will hopefully contain two outcomes Strategies to combat systemic racism, and a definition of Islamophobia that will place it in the context of Canadian laws as well as overall racism in the country. It is a simplistic way of thinking that overlooks the role that race plays in Islamophobic hate crimes. Article Continued Below In the U.S., some 30 per cent of Muslims describe themselves as white, 23 per cent as Black, 21 per cent as Asian, 6 per cent as Hispanic, and 19 per cent as other or mixed race, according to the Pew Research Center in Washington. Islamophobia is not colour blind. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

suu kyi: Myanmar's Suu Kyi condemns 'all human rights violations' in Rohingya crisis Aung San Suu Kyi accused of spouting 'falsehoods' in speech about Rohingya crisis Darusman's team started its work in August, the month that attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents in Myanmar triggered a military response that has forced more than 421,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in the past month, according to CBC. Myanmar has denied rights groups' accusations that it is trying to drive the minority community out of Rakhine state, saying it is only targeting militants. '1045600835558', 'playlist Selector' 'container Selector' ' container73294125', 'ciid' 'caffeine14287361' ; Stuck in no man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar0 40 Initial information has been given that some of the allegations that have been spelled out in the resolution are reflected in the initial findings of the team in their interviews, Darusman told reporters. Marzuki Darusman said his UN team was still trying to get Myanmar's permission to enter the country, but was gathering evidence from refugees and medics in the border town of Cox's Bazar in neighbouring Bangladesh. What they have come up with reflects in general the reporting of the international media so far on what is happening there. The international media has widely reported on the plight of the Rohingya and their accounts of persecution by Myanmar's military and security forces, which the UN human rights chief has referred to as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Allegations of ethnic cleansing The UN Human Rights Council's resolution to set up the fact-finding mission mandated Darusman's team to look into alleged recent human rights violations by military and security forces and abuses in Myanmar, in particular in Rakhine State. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

worker program: The decision says four representative plaintiffs paid up to 8,500, only to arrive in Canada to learn there were no jobs at Mac's, they couldn't work elsewhere and their money would not be returned, the decision says, according to The Chronicle Herald. The plaintiffs represent about 450 workers, including Prakash Basyal, a Napalese man who was recruited at a job fair in Dubai. A written decision posted Tuesday says the case involves employment contracts for work at Mac's stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker program. Basyal says in an affidavit that he met immigration consultant Kuldeep Bansal at a recruitment fair in the summer of 2012 and was told he'd be guaranteed a job in Canada if he paid 8,000. Overseas Immigration Services, Overseas Career and Consulting Services, and Trident Immigration Services are named as defendants in the lawsuit, and the decision says they are related companies controlled by Bansal, whose sister is the sole director of Trident. Bansal arranged for him to be interviewed in Dubai by a Mac's representative in November 2012 and again in February 2013 by phone, Basyal says in the document, adding he signed an employment contract a month later to work at a Mac's store for two years at a wage of 11.40 an hour. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.