[Danny785]

What are your thoughts on the positives and negatives of immigration to Canada?

[Freakinoldguy]

Good and Bad.

Eligible immigrants who bring something to the table and are going to contribute to Canada without demanding we change our culture to suit them are welcome.

All other slugs please stay home.

[Brenda]

From the immigrants point of view or the Canadian citizens point of view?

[Danny785]

Citizen's point of view, unless you are an immigrant.

[Brenda]

I am. But I live in the boof*cking middle of nowhere, so I don't think my experience is the same as from an immigrant to the city. So it depends on what you want to hear.

The loooooong process? The "is it worth it"? the "how do you cope with missing your family"? Do you want feelings or facts?

[Danny785]

I just want to know your feelings on the system itself.

[BartSimpson]

My thoughts: Let in the good ones who want to be Canadians and keep out the bad ones who want Canadians and Canada to be something else.

[Brenda]

The immigration system for the Skilled worker immigrant sucks. It's a long process, a lot of paperwork, HUGE cost and you are only sure when you have arranged everything and land with all your shit at the airport. You can still be denied even if you have your visa in your passport.

Family class for immigrants is FANTASTIC! You only need to make sure your aunt or mom or kid signs a sponsorcontract that they are responsible for you for the next 10 years, that they can have torn apart by the courts if they can't, and you are in. No language tests, I wonder if they need a physical, no HUGE cost or wait time... If you can get in that way, DO IT!

If you are an entrepeneur, you need to bring cash and promise you set 2 Canadians to work. At this time, not that hard, just hire a nanny for $8/hr in company name, and some immigrant that will work for $8/hr, and you're set. You can also buy that visa instead of pay the full 300k. $120k will do then.

Then we have the investor class. I dont have 600K, so I never looked at it.

Provincial Nominee Program is a nice one too, if you can find an employer who wants to do the dirty work. Not too many are willing to do that, unless you are smart enough to get hired by a unionized company like a hospital orso.


From the resident point of view... Stop the Family Class immigration, bring on the Skilled Worker Class immigration and get the backlog done (an average waiting period of 5-7 years is just bullshit), and entrepeneurs and investors bring cash, so bring it.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

Only genuine refugees and those that actually have something to offer in the way of skills, and not just 2 dozen extended family members that will only suck on the tit of our system.
And regardless of why they were allowed in, they MUST have the understanding that this is Canada, and NOT the country they came from.
We'll do everything we can to try and accomodate them, but they gotta stop expecting us to change our laws to suit what they believe or what they were used to "back home".

[Danny785]

Thanks for the great responses!

[Bruce_the_vii]

Canada of yore was a place of opportunity, people came her and did well. Now it has problems, some 23% of all workers earn $12 an hour or less (2007). And with training there is no guarantee you'll actually get a job these days. Still people love immigration, it's nationalism now - we are a strong country. Some review would be in order.

[kenmore]

Immigrants love the dole, the welfare system and the health care system. subsidized housing and of course " their rights"

[Bruce_the_vii]

kenmore wrote:

Immigrants love the dole, the welfare system and the health care system. subsidized housing and of course " their rights"

These are what the Immigration Department calls the myths of immigration, they are blaming immigrants. This is not popular and will turn people off. It's not charitable as immigrants are just like you and me, not lauffers. It's better to stick to employment problems, including with immigrants themselves. As a "jobs activist" in Toronto I don't encounter any resistance by immigrants to the ideas of problems with employment and that. They are the most vulnerable after all.

[kenmore]

Yes, the immigration dept. likes to call this a myth..keeps them working..however there are many many immigrants and so called refugees taking advantage of a very generous welfare system. My brother inlaw and his wife both work in immigration. She is from India.. They both say the statistics esp. for refugees to be on welfare is high.. So I agree (probably 20%) come here with skills to hold a worthwhile job and contribute.

[GreenTiger]

Well, in about a year I will be taking that path myself and I certainly don't want to bring the "USA" with me. I'm trying to get away from this BS. I simply believe that Canada is a step up in a number of ways.

I won't be on welfare and I will have a job.