| Immigration Matters |
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Within the past several months there has been a sudden jolt in the removal of thousands of failed refugee claimants and other non-status persons from
During a typical working day at the Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre on
Outside, from as early as , there is long queue waiting to report as soon as the door opens. Some of them are fulfilling their usual reporting conditions imposed on them by a bond while others are reporting because they have received “Call In Notice” for removal arrangements.
These persons are sent formal notices ordering them to attend, which sets out a date, time and place of attendance. It requires attendees to bring certain documents with them such as OHIP/Health and Social Insurance cards, passports, proof of appeals and federal court applications, and a birth certificate or ID card from their home country.
The notice also carries an ominous warning “their non attendance may result in a “Canada-wide warrant” being issued for their arrest”.
In practice, in all the cases were claimants are subject to removal, they are entitled to a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). These eligible applicants are furnished with forms with instructions and it now normally takes two to three months for an answer at which time the person is finally booked to leave
Persons who are entitled to PRRA and have pending spousal applications or Humanitarian and Compassionate applications may make a request for an Administrative Stay after the decision for 60 days at which time they may have an interview with respect to their perspective applications.
These stays are usually granted for persons with pending spousal applications. On the other hand, officers are reluctant to grant a stay with respect to a pending Humanitarian and Compassionate applications.
The Federal Court has ruled that “the Minister controls the speed with which an applicant’s H& C application can be dealt with. The Minister controls the time of the execution of the removal order (subject of course to the applicant not disappearing “underground”). The respondent Minster has a policy of not executing removal orders against individuals who have filed H & C applications when the processing of the application has been pending for more than six months.”
Despite this policy, we see a number of persons being denied this stay and are requested to leave and have complied thus denying them this process to remain in Canada.
May 8, 2006
LANDING FEES REDUCED
As of May 3, 2006, the Right of Permanent Resident Fees have been reduced from $975 to $490. As well, many persons may be applicable to a refund of these fees, if they have paid and have not become permanent residents by this date. The new fee is for immigrants who will become residents under all social, humanitarian and economic classes. Why reduce the fee? Well, Refunds, for those who are eligible, do not have to be requested by the applicant, or their sponsor (if applicable), as this will be sent directly by mail, if it was paid in This process has already begun, so ensure your address information is up-to-date with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This can be confirmed on their website www.cic.gc.ca by using their on-line services. For payments made abroad, and the visa has not yet been received, a request should be made to the visa office responsible for the application. If a request is not made, the refund will be provided when the visa is issued. If you have received your visa but have not yet received your refund, information will be provided on how to request the refund when you arrive in This new change affects approximately 185,000 people who have already paid the fee, but have not become permanent residents by the effective date. It is important to note that this will not affect any programs to help immigrants settle in
Also, good news regarding foreign students studying in The following criteria must be met to be eligible for this program: 1. Must have a valid study permit; 2. Must have studied full time at an eligible institution for at least six months out of the twelve months before applying; 3. Must maintain satisfactory academic standing (as defined by the institution); 4. Must be enrolled in an academic program of study; and 5. Must comply with the conditions of the study permit and the work permit, if applicable. If fail to do so, it will be found that there was non-compliance and the person will not be able to re-apply for this program. Eligible institutions are publicly funded post-secondary educational institutions that have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial government or private post-secondary institutions that operate under the same rules and regulations as public institutions, receive at least fifty percent of their financing for their overall operations from government grants, and have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial government. A list of eligible institutions are available on Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website. The provinces that currently have an agreement are This program is available immediately, so for foreign students looking for summer employment can apply without delay, but remember, you can not work until you receive the work permit. This also does not limit your employment opportunities, as you may work anywhere in While in school, you may work up to 20 hours per week and on scheduled breaks, including summer/winter holidays and reading weeks, you may work full-time hours. These past few weeks there has been wonderful news for upcoming permanent residents and temporary residents of SUKHRAM RAMKISSOON is a member of CSIC and specializes in Immigration Matters at No. 3089 Bathurst Street,
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