Seeks more skilled Indians specifically.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The Canadian government has announced that starting in 2015, it will adopt a brand-new immigration system meant to expedite its existing backlogs and usher in a new flood of citizens – specifically, from India.
The announcement came from Canadian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Alexander, in a presentation at the Canada House in New Delhi. The program has already been dubbed CAN+, and will be fully functional in under six months – an incredibly fast span of time for something so comprehensive.
Alexander said that the country’s immigration system was in need of an overhaul and that by revamping the system, there would be special focus on inviting more Indians into the country and creating a faster, easier process by which they can attain citizenship.
Canada will instate a liberalized visa program for Indian nationals, who can come to the country for any number of reasons, including work, education, business, and leisure, reports The Hindu. Canada will also have a program put in place that can process immigration applications in as little as six months, which would hugely expedite the process and mitigate backlog.
One of the main reasons for doing this is to compete with the US, which has had its fair share of problems adopting immigration reform over the last two years. With Republicans now saying that it won’t get done in 2014, and US President Barack Obama vowing to take matters into his own hands, it doesn’t look like America’s immigration system will change substantially any time soon, especially for legal immigration.
In Canada’s eyes, the US’ loss is their gain. Indian immigrants trying to come to the US for jobs can now come to its next-door neighbor much more easily. Similar programs are already in place for nationals from China and Mexico, making India the third country whose demographic is highly sought after by Canada.
Canada issued around 130,000 visas to Indian nationals last year, making India one of the top 10 countries in that regard. During his presentation, Alexander said this was deliberate, as Canada wants to increase its ties with India on the economic front, and pursue what he called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
What remains to be seen is if Canadian cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal have the same draw for Indians that San Francisco, New York, and Chicago do.