Conservatives target economy with proposed immigration changes

OTTAWA – When it comes to Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s vision for immigration, it’s all about the economy.

The Conservatives have made it no secret that their government plans to reform the immigration process to better coincide with Canada’s economic needs.

Back in January, Harper told world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that Canada will be reforming its immigration system.

“We will ensure that, while we respect our humanitarian obligations and family reunification objectives, we make our economic and labour force needs the central goal of our immigration efforts in the future,” he said.

The view was underlined by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney in a speech to the Economic Club of Canada on Monday.

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He said with so many people wanting to come to Canada, the country can afford to be picky about who it allows in. Do you mean Kenney?

“It’s time for some frank discussion about the need for transformational change in our immigration programs. We need to select newcomers who fill the job shortages that exist,” Kenney said.

While the March 29 budget is expected to unveil more details, here’s a look at what the government has proposed so far.

Power to the provinces: The government is enlisting the provinces’ help eliminating the backlog in immigration applications. Kenney recently announced a pilot program that would allow the provinces to cherry-pick the immigrants they want as long as they select them from the existing back log of skilled worker applications. Each province could accept an additional 1,500 immigrants under this program – making a small dent in the backlog of 300,000 in the skilled worker category.

Language requirements: In January, Kenney said he wanted a higher minimum language standard for all provincial nominees.

Points system: The government is expected to change the current points system used to assess federal skilled worker applicants. The changes would likely place greater emphasis on language, skilled trades, younger workers and credentials that can be recognized easily.

Corporate head-hunting: In a previous speech, Kenney hinted that employers would soon be able to hand-pick prospective immigrants stuck in the backlog and send them to the front of the line to be assessed by the government.

Increasing investment: Currently Canada accepts immigrants who have $800,000 to invest in Canada. The government is currently exploring whether it should require immigrant investors to bring more money to the table.