安省将推出1年试验计划 吸纳短缺工人快速移民
星报通讯社电/安省将推出为期1年的试验计划，以便省内急需的熟练工人可以尽快移民。
《多伦多星报》获悉，移民厅长科尔(Mike Colle)将在周四的记者会中宣布省方提名计划(Provincial Nominee Program，PNP)，以便解决安省劳工市场需求跟渥太华所准许的移民长期无法配合的问题。
科尔的发言人拜恩(Rick Byun)说，PNP是要让熟练工人获得适当机会并帮助他们在安省定居，安省的雇主及经济也会因此获益，这项计划会兼顾专业人士及熟练技工。
需要工人的雇主可依照PNP提名合适人选，省府根据劳工市场需求筛选后，将名单送交公民及移民部，便可在安全调查及身体检查后发出移民证。
根据PNP移民者有机会在数个月内取得永久居民卡，不再像以往只能获得3-4年的工作许可证。
PNP可望弥补移民计点制的不足，因为依据学历、语言能力、训练、经历遴选移民时，受教育的专业人士较有利，但移民后往往无法从事本行工作而屈就，至于安省急需的熟练建筑工人却受限于点数而无法入境。
安省在2005年就跟渥太华签订遴选移民协议，但是迟迟未见实施，利用PNP的雇主将要向移民厅的新单位缴交手续费。
Provincial Nominee Program Begins On Pilot Basis
McGuinty Government Making It Easier For Employers To Attract Skilled Immigrants
TORONTO, May 24 /CNW/ – Ontario businesses will now be able to attract the skilled immigrants they need thanks to a new provincial program that gets newcomers settled more quickly, Ontario Citizenship and Immigration Minister Mike Colle announced today.
“With this new program, for the first time, Ontario will be able to select immigrants whose skills match the needs of the province’s labour market,” said Colle. “The pilot Provincial Nominee Program is the latest step our government is taking to strengthen our economy through immigration.”
Provincial Nominee Programs, which are in place across the country, allow provinces to nominate individuals for immigration based on labour needs and provincial priorities. This pilot program enables Ontario employers and multinational corporations investing in Ontario to recruit and retain internationally trained individuals, including international students enrolled in Ontario. The employer category helps employers fill labour needs in specific fields. The investor category helps companies bring in key employees who will contribute to the long-term success of the investment.
The majority of Ontario’s nominees will be from the employer category for highly skilled workers such as industrial electricians, specialized professionals such as researchers, and international students. Approximately half of the nominations will be targeted to communities outside the Greater Toronto Area, to support growth in regional economies.
“This new program is in keeping with one of the Chamber’s key recommendations in terms of helping employers grow and compete,” said Len Crispino, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “A provincial nominee program is one way to assist companies to get the skilled labour they require more quickly and attract investment to the province, both within and outside the Greater Toronto Area.”
Successful nominees will receive permission to work in Ontario. They, along with their family, will be nominated by the provincial government to have their application fast-tracked by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Ontario will nominate 500 individuals in the first year of the pilot program. The program will be fine-tuned and adjusted to ensure it is flexible and effective in meeting employers’ labour market needs.
The pilot PNP is part of the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the first-ever agreement on immigration between Ontario and the federal government. The COIA quadruples federal funding for settlement and language services in Ontario, securing an additional $920 million for the province over five years.
“Ontario already receives the majority of immigrants to Canada,” said Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. “The focused approach of this new program on addressing labour market needs with professionals and highly skilled workers makes it a win-win for employers and new immigrants.”
This is just one more example of how, working together, Ontarians have achieved results to meet labour market needs through immigration and help Ontario compete globally. Other results include:
– Mandating fair and transparent registration practices for regulated professions, which will help break down barriers for newcomers seeking to work in their fields
– Making it easier for internationally trained professionals to navigate through the licensing process in Ontario by creating Global Experience Ontario, a one-stop access and resource centre
– Ensuring registration and licensing practices are fair by establishing the first-ever Office of the Fairness Commissioner;
– Helping thousands of newcomers work in more than 100 professions and trades; by investing more than $53 million since 2003 in more than 90 bridging programs
– Helping with the costs of assessment, training and exams by providing up to $5,000 per person through the new Foreign Trained Professionals Loans Program
– Establishing Canada’s only internship program for internationally trained individuals in a provincial government.
“Our government is investing in Ontario’s economic growth and supporting employers,” said Colle. “The pilot Provincial Nominee Program will help Ontario to better compete and win in the global competition for talent, investment and jobs.”
For more information on Ontario’s pilot Provincial Nominee Program, visit the website http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/english/pnp.asp or call 1-866-214-6820.
Backgrounder
NEW ONTARIO IMMIGRATION PROGRAM MAKES IT EASIER FOR EMPLOYERS TO MATCH SKILLED NEWCOMERS TO LABOUR NEEDS
Starting in the spring of 2007, Ontario’s employers will get help to fill labour needs through a new pilot Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The pilot PNP will, for the first time, give Ontario the ability to match the skills of prospective immigrants to the needs of its labour market.
The pilot PNP enables Ontario employers and multinational corporations investing in Ontario to recruit and retain internationally trained individuals to fill labour market needs.
Ontario’s pilot Provincial Nominee Program has two categories:
Employer Category:
– Allows eligible Ontario employers to fill labour needs in 20 specific occupations in the health, education, manufacturing and construction sectors.
– Employers apply to the program.
– Employers can recruit qualified individuals currently outside Canada or inside the country, including international students who have completed college or university studies in Ontario related to one of the occupational fields.
– Applicants in this category will account for 90 percent of nominations.
Multinational Investor Category:
– For companies making significant investments in the province to bring in key employees who will contribute to the long-term success of the investment.
– Applicants in the multinational investment category will account for approximately 10 per cent of nominees.
For both categories, employers apply to the program to have positions approved. Once positions have been approved, employers bring forward prospective nominee applicants. Nominee applicants must have the relevant education, training and experience required for the pre-approved positions.
Successful nominees will receive permission to work in Ontario and they, along with their family members, will be nominated by the provincial government to have their application for permanent residency fast-tracked by the federal immigration department.
Ontario will nominate 500 individuals in the first year of this pilot program. Approximately half of the nominations will be targeted to communities outside the Greater Toronto Area, to support growth in regional economies.
The pilot PNP is part of the landmark Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the first-ever agreement on immigration between Ontario and the federal government. The COIA quadruples federal funding to settlement and language services in Ontario to an additional $920 million over five years.
Under the COIA, the Ontario PNP will start as a pilot so it can be fine-tuned and adjusted to ensure it is effective in meeting employers’ labour market needs.
Applying to the pilot Provincial Nominee Program:
– Information on the eligibility criteria for employers and prospective nominees is available on the OntarioImmigration.ca website.
– Applications for eligible employers are available at http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/english/pnp.asp.
– Individuals cannot apply to the program directly; only those individuals selected and offered a job by pre-approved employers can apply.
– The program will begin accepting employer applications by mail, courier or hand-delivery on May 24, 2007.
– A non-refundable processing fee of $2,000 is proposed for nominee applicants and $200 for international students.
For more information on Ontario’s pilot Provincial Nominee Program, visit
http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/english/pnp.asp or call 1-866-214-6820.
Backgrounder
SUPPORT FOR THE PILOT PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAM IN ONTARIO
“The Provincial Nominee Program is an important step for Ontario. The program will ensure that the skills immigrants bring to Ontario are put to immediate use in the workplace. This is good for immigrants and good for employers.”
Ratna Omidvar
Executive Director, Maytree Foundation
“Science-based research institutes today must recruit from all over the world to be successful. Efforts to attract and retain internationally trained individuals could have a big impact on health research in Ontario, resulting in improvements in health care, education and the economy.”
Dr. Rashmi Kothary
Interim CEO and Scientific Director, Ottawa Health Research Institute
“We welcome this government initiative which will facilitate and speed up the entry of professionals into Ontario. In a global knowledge-based economy employers in Ontario will benefit from this help to fill the gaps in the province’s labour market.”
Doug Raycraft
President, Association of Municipalities of Ontario
“The international experience of our researchers and healthcare professionals adds immeasurable value to our health care system and to our economy. A program like this one will help us continue to attract the best and brightest from around the world.”
Dr. Robert Bell
President and CEO, University Health Network
“This new program is in keeping with one of the Chamber’s key recommendations in terms of helping employers grow and compete. A provincial nominee program is one way to assist companies to get the skilled labour they require more quickly and attract investment to the province, both within and outside the Greater Toronto Area.”
Len Crispino
President and CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
“Skilled immigrants offer tremendous opportunities for home builders and the industry. Employers in Toronto, and across Ontario, now have a new tool to help them compete with employers around the world for highly skilled talent.”
Bob Finnigan
President, Greater Toronto Homebuilders’ Association – Urban Development Association
“Skilled people are a vital component of Linamar’s success. Manufacturing environments rely on trained and experienced people to grow our business. The Ontario Government PNP will help Ontario manufacturers gain access to skilled people and support our business needs.”
Linda Hasenfratz
Chief Executive Officer, Linamar Corporation
“Ontario has asked the right questions and has come up with a unique approach for its PNP. This should eliminate much of the frustration that currently exists in the federal system.”
Howard Greenberg
Canadian Immigration Policy Council Past Chair, Citizenship and Immigration Section, Canadian Bar Association
“The shortage of physicians and other health professionals remains one of the greatest concerns for Ontario doctors. This program is another step forward to improving the supply of health professionals in Ontario.”
Dr. Janice Willett
President, Ontario Medical Association
“With the current building boom, Ontario is competing for highly skilled labour with other provinces. The pilot Provincial Nominee Program puts us in a stronger position to compete for skilled construction workers.”
David Frame
President, Council of Ontario Construction Associations
www.citizenship.gov.on.ca
www.OntarioImmigration.ca
For further information: Media inquiries only: Rick Byun, Minister’s Office, (416) 325-3460; Michel Payen-Dumont, Communications Branch, (416)314-7010
