Canada may phase out immigration landing fee
Tue, 31 Jan 2006 21:38:31 GMT
As Canadian elections draw near, the main political parties are using immigration as a tool for gaining support. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is promising to phase out a hated immigration landing fee he imposed in 1995, his latest effort to gather support for his party among new Canadians. Martin now calls the $975 fee a barrier to immigrants entering Canada, particularly immigrant families. In his 1995 budget, Martin imposed the fee to help pay for settlement services for newcomers, although opponents condemned it as a simple money grab.
Canadian Immigration urges Belgian family to leave
Wed, 18 Jan 2006 16:12:20 GMT
Immigration Canada is urging the Belgian family hiding from a deportation order to go to the United States or back to Belgium until the case is resolved. Michel Van Hauve, his wife, Suzy Myers, and their son, Blaise, have lived in Navan for eight years, but were ordered to return to Belgium when Van Hauve failed to provide paperwork proving he'd been pardoned of a shoplifting conviction in his native country.
Conservatives would reduce immigration barriers
Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:53:50 GMT
Stephen Harper courted the immigrant vote on Wednesday, promising to cut the immigration landing fee, and work to have foreign credentials recognized in Canada. New Canadians and the political process
The Conservatives would cut the $975 landing fee in half immediately, and work to reduce it over time to $100, Harper said at a news conference in Mississauga, Ont.
Russian family trying to reach Canada from Bermuda granted extension
Mon, 02 Jan 2006 18:16:00 GMT
A Russian family that is struggling to reach Canada after sailing the world for 14 years has received some good news from the government in Bermuda - their current port of call. Vitaly and Marina Bondarenko, and their two young boys, have been living on their 11-metre yacht since they were ordered to leave Canada last June in a bid to settle their immigration status.