起重机操作工类别仅3人申请
明报/联邦移民部昨日指加拿大去年吸纳的技术移民总人数增加，不过在联邦技术移民(Federal Skilled Worker)类别中，自从优先申请职业由38项减至29项后，至今接收的申请不到年度配额四成，核准率更平均跌至32%，仅为旧制六成；不同职业的申请人数呈现极大差别。
商业管理专业人士和注册护士两类早已“逼爆”1000人的年度限制，有意者要“下年请早”；而冷门行业却仅有寥寥数人。移民律师指，不排除移民部今年会再调整甚至删减部分职业或其配额。
移民部通过C50移民法修正案后，从去年6月26日开始，联邦技术移民类的38个优先申请职业被削减至29个，原本中国申请人比较集中的职业，如会计、电脑等均被移除；又规定在往后12个月内，即至2011年6月30日时，联邦技术移民类别有2万名额，每类职业接收申请不超过1000例，但已获加国公司聘用的申请人不包括在内。
目前距一年期仅有不到4个月，而联邦技术移民优先职业的申请总数还不到配额的一半，2万个名额到今年2月8日时，仅有7,467宗申请，即是仍余超过1.2万个空缺。
不过，不同职业的移民申请可谓“天渊之别”，其中商业管理专业人士(Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management)和注册护士(Registered Nurses)两类别早已千人爆满，不再接收新申请。
但反观起重机操作工则仅收3宗申请，另外少于40宗申请的职业还包括医疗放射技师、牙科保健师及理疗师、水管工、焊工、重型设备技师、钻孔工及爆破工等。
温哥华移民律师辛湉王(Steven Meurrens)指，“商业管理专业人士”范畴很广，配额一开始已经是申请量遥遥领先；在额满后才递交的新申请会被原封不动地退回，有意申请人士须得等到约今年6月底，移民部宣布该职业有新年度配额时，再“抓紧时间”重递申请，但是届时该职业配额是否会变动，甚至是否会继续存在该项“优先职业”却是未知之数。
辛湉王解释说，联邦的技术移民类别是为加国吸收紧缺劳工，若移民部认为经济衰退，不再需要引进该行人士，或是加国已有足够多人寻求这方面工作，就会在新配额中删减该类职业吸收的移民人数，很难存在将冷门行业的空位转给热门行业的情况。
核准率大降至32%
另根据最新各类移民申请核准率统计，2010年9月30日前的12个月内，联邦技术移民类在移民部删减职业类别前，核准率为56%，批准和拒绝个案分别有约1.4万宗和1.1万宗；而在C50法案推行后，该类核准率大降为32%，批准和拒绝个案分别约为1.6万宗和3.4万宗，后者是前者的两倍多。
CANADA WELCOMES HIGHEST NUMBER OF LEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN 50 YEARS WHILE TAKING ACTION TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF CANADA’SIMMIGRATION SYSTEM
Ottawa, February 13, 2011 — In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in more than 50 years, at 280,636 permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Alice Wong announced today in Toronto and Vancouver.
“While other Western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, our government kept legal immigration levels high. Canada’s post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong,” said Minister Kenney. “In 2010, we welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in the past 50 years to support Canada’s economic recovery while taking action to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system with the introduction of the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act.”
According to preliminary data, last year Canada admitted 280,636 permanent residents, about six percent more than the government’s planned range of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for 2010. This is in line with Minister Kenney’s announcement in June of last year that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) would adjust its 2010 immigration plan to meet the need for economic immigration. The 280,636 number is about 60,000 higher than the average annual intake of permanent residents the Government of Canada admitted in the 1990s.
“It’s important to understand that the ranges are for planning purposes only. The key number is how many immigrants Canada actually admits. For 2010, that number is 280,636, with the growth coming mostly from skilled economic immigrants,” said Parliamentary Secretary Wong.
The high number of economic immigrants in 2010 has helped CIC decrease application backlogs in the federal skilled worker category, reduce wait times under the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, and better meet labour market needs. Before the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which Minister Kenney announced within one month of becoming Immigration Minister in November 2008, Canada was obliged to process every immigration application it received, even if it meant creating large application backlogs in popular immigration categories. For example, in 2008 Canada had a backlog of over 640,000 people in the federal skilled worker category waiting as long as six years to be processed.
“Last year, the backlog of people who applied before the Action Plan was drawn down to 335,000 applicants, which represents close to half the number of people who were awaiting a decision in 2008,” said Minister Kenney. “I’m very pleased that a higher number of admissions in 2010 means that more people are now out of the lineup and well on their way to beginning a new life in Canada.”
A recent evaluation confirmed that immigrants selected under the federal skilled worker program are faring well in Canada and filling gaps in the work force. It found that skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, earning on average $79,200 three years after arriving in Canada. About two thirds of those admitted in 2010 in the permanent resident category were economic immigrants and their dependants.
At the same time, we did our part to meet the needs of provinces and territories through a record number of immigrants in the provincial nominee program, representing an increase of 20 percent from 2009.
“Since 2006, our government has allowed for the provincial nominee program to expand significantly, from 8,047 people in 2005 to 36,419 in 2011,” said Minister Kenney.
Canada continued to welcome a high number of temporary residents, including 182,322 temporary foreign workers and 96,147 foreign students. According to a study commissioned by the Government of Canada entitled Economic Impact of International Education in Canada, foreign students are estimated to contribute more than $6.5 billion to Canada’s economy every year.
“We continued to admit an increasing number of foreign students to Canada last year through joint efforts among the federal government, provincial governments and other partners,” said Minister Kenney. “Our government’s initiatives such as the Student Partners Program have also helped to attract and admit a high number of foreign students, particularly from China and India.”
In 2010, Canada also maintained its humanitarian tradition by welcoming 7,265 government-assisted refugees and 4,833 privately sponsored refugees. The government also landed 12,595 refugees in Canada who had made successful asylum claims, and their dependants.
“These refugees played by the rules and came to Canada through legal streams,” noted Minister Kenney. “It is important to note that while Canada is maintaining its humanitarian tradition of providing a safe haven for legitimate refugees, we will not stand by while our immigration system is being abused by queue jumpers and human smugglers. Bill C-49, the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, sends a clear message that the abuse of our immigration system will not be tolerated.”
