go_guy123
05-10 01:04 AM
You are right on the mark. Need to be physically present 2 years of the next 5 years for your immigration status to be alive in Canada,
Yes true you might as well stay for 3 years and be eligible for citizenship.
Yes true you might as well stay for 3 years and be eligible for citizenship.
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texanguy
10-01 07:14 PM
in the next 10-20 years, US needs steady stream of educated young working population(say 25-40 yrs olds) to take care of all the commitments of social security and medicare. Babyboomers will soon outnumber the younger generations. immigration is a need for US now more than ever in the known history. employment based immigration is definitely going to increase/needs to be increased at any cost.
Democrat,republicans,obama,mccain no matter who comes to power, there are good days ahead for EB immigrants. all the trouble that we face today is a result of pandering to the nativist base of the country before election takes place. Once in power, things will change for good...
Democrat,republicans,obama,mccain no matter who comes to power, there are good days ahead for EB immigrants. all the trouble that we face today is a result of pandering to the nativist base of the country before election takes place. Once in power, things will change for good...
meridiani.planum
09-23 04:58 PM
I second that. I am waiting for my GC before I make such a huge commitment to this country.
Exactly, but what if they give you GC immediately if you buy a house? Win-win for both you and the government.
Exactly, but what if they give you GC immediately if you buy a house? Win-win for both you and the government.
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nozerd
03-19 06:57 PM
Please see answers in blue below
so you mean to say that if I try to enter in fourth year, then itself I have to go to an immigration hearing and the judge would decide whether he would let me stay or not ?
Please see the following link for all details
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/res-oblig.html
Also can I apply for CA SIN staying in USA ?
I think you can apply via fax, but would have to give someones address in Canada to actually recieve it.
Should I be filing taxes there ?
No you shouldnt if you are not residing in Canada and have no Canadian income. You would if you had Canadian income or you were residing in Canada but working in US.
How do I get an address if I dont stay there ?
Same way you got an address to receive your PR card. Friends, family etc.
Thanks for your help.
You are welcome.
so you mean to say that if I try to enter in fourth year, then itself I have to go to an immigration hearing and the judge would decide whether he would let me stay or not ?
Please see the following link for all details
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/res-oblig.html
Also can I apply for CA SIN staying in USA ?
I think you can apply via fax, but would have to give someones address in Canada to actually recieve it.
Should I be filing taxes there ?
No you shouldnt if you are not residing in Canada and have no Canadian income. You would if you had Canadian income or you were residing in Canada but working in US.
How do I get an address if I dont stay there ?
Same way you got an address to receive your PR card. Friends, family etc.
Thanks for your help.
You are welcome.
more...
prinive
02-12 01:16 PM
I dont think so....:o If that happens, I will send you a bag of sugar to you... :rolleyes:
September 2001 will be current next month for sure ...
September 2001 will be current next month for sure ...
sk2006
08-15 03:56 PM
Your argument sounds like "Yes we do harass our own people here. So there is nothing wrong in harassing other country people"
Yes people feel harassed but security norms are there for a reason.
They are not magicians who would look at the face of the person and find if he is a good guy or not. Are they?
Read this link:
Don�€™t make a big deal of Shah Rukh�€™s detention:One For The Road:Anand Soondas's blog-The Times Of India (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/onefortheroad/entry/don-t-make-a-big)
quote from this link:
"Interestingly, the same day that SRK was detained in Newark, there came news that the great Bob Dylan, who was wandering around Long Branch, near New York City, sometime back, was asked for an ID by two cops too young to know who he really was. When he couldn’t furnish one, he was taken right back to the resort where he was putting up and staff there vouched for him. And America is Dylan’s own country."
.
.
"There are two layers to the SRK incident and we must peel them off with care. One, it is quite ridiculous that Indians feel their icons and superstars are everybody’s icons and superstars. What the heck? If Jet Li came to India tomorrow, the man on the street here would probably call him ‘`Chinky’’ and not give a second look. For that matter, what if G�rard Depardieu came travelling. How many would know him? Matt Damon was here recently and there wasn’t a traffic jam in Delhi. These guys are huge back home. Moreover, America doesn’t have a culture of fawning the way India has. Mike Tyson was treated like a common rapist and spent most part of his youth in the slammer. Winona Ryder was sentenced to a three-year probation for shoplifting. Chinese born Hollywood actress Bai Ling was fined US 200 dollars for petty theft.
More importantly, we are actually aggrieved because we are ``not like them’’. Well, guess what. It isn’t a virtue. We should be like them and take the security of our country and its people with solemn, no-nonsense professionalism.
.
.
We are just whimpering over here like hurt puppies because we feel, ``Oh, but we don’t do it to them’’. Oh no, we don’t. And it’s a scandal. We should.
.
.
So instead of making SRK’s detention an issue, we should think of upgrading our own security set-up.
There’s a lesson in this. And it is a positive one. A day after our own 26/11, there was hardly any security at CST in Mumbai. It can’t get worse than that. The bottom line: Stop fawning, shed the colonial hangover and make no compromise where the country’s safety is concerned."
Yes people feel harassed but security norms are there for a reason.
They are not magicians who would look at the face of the person and find if he is a good guy or not. Are they?
Read this link:
Don�€™t make a big deal of Shah Rukh�€™s detention:One For The Road:Anand Soondas's blog-The Times Of India (http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/onefortheroad/entry/don-t-make-a-big)
quote from this link:
"Interestingly, the same day that SRK was detained in Newark, there came news that the great Bob Dylan, who was wandering around Long Branch, near New York City, sometime back, was asked for an ID by two cops too young to know who he really was. When he couldn’t furnish one, he was taken right back to the resort where he was putting up and staff there vouched for him. And America is Dylan’s own country."
.
.
"There are two layers to the SRK incident and we must peel them off with care. One, it is quite ridiculous that Indians feel their icons and superstars are everybody’s icons and superstars. What the heck? If Jet Li came to India tomorrow, the man on the street here would probably call him ‘`Chinky’’ and not give a second look. For that matter, what if G�rard Depardieu came travelling. How many would know him? Matt Damon was here recently and there wasn’t a traffic jam in Delhi. These guys are huge back home. Moreover, America doesn’t have a culture of fawning the way India has. Mike Tyson was treated like a common rapist and spent most part of his youth in the slammer. Winona Ryder was sentenced to a three-year probation for shoplifting. Chinese born Hollywood actress Bai Ling was fined US 200 dollars for petty theft.
More importantly, we are actually aggrieved because we are ``not like them’’. Well, guess what. It isn’t a virtue. We should be like them and take the security of our country and its people with solemn, no-nonsense professionalism.
.
.
We are just whimpering over here like hurt puppies because we feel, ``Oh, but we don’t do it to them’’. Oh no, we don’t. And it’s a scandal. We should.
.
.
So instead of making SRK’s detention an issue, we should think of upgrading our own security set-up.
There’s a lesson in this. And it is a positive one. A day after our own 26/11, there was hardly any security at CST in Mumbai. It can’t get worse than that. The bottom line: Stop fawning, shed the colonial hangover and make no compromise where the country’s safety is concerned."
more...
GCard_Dream
06-28 07:31 PM
I think the folks who decided to file on their own are clearly the winners here because they have complete control over when the AOS gets filed. Folks like me who decided to go with the company law firm are clearly the biggest losers here because with all the added work load, the law firms are in complete disarray and can not guarantee anything about when the cases will be filed. The company law firm I am dealing with is in so much disarray that they have stopped taking phone calls and they wouldn’t even talk to me on the phone.
I have submitted all documents and filled out all their forms a while ago and I still haven't heard a word from them about whether they have received all the documents and when do they expect to file my case. Yet this is the law firm that probably charges 400 bucks an hour.
Like logiclife said, I wish I would have done it myself. Well .. too late now :(
I have submitted all documents and filled out all their forms a while ago and I still haven't heard a word from them about whether they have received all the documents and when do they expect to file my case. Yet this is the law firm that probably charges 400 bucks an hour.
Like logiclife said, I wish I would have done it myself. Well .. too late now :(
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chintu25
02-13 11:00 AM
The issue is that people speak big here - but run away when asked to come forward. How do we trust 35K members who have tons of excuses for not doing anything for themsleves and blaming IV and questioning IVs credibility?
Also another point in your response that said ...how do we trust .....
I ask do we have a choice ... to not trust.
Trust is a strong word.
IV is based on trust and common goals I think
All the members on this forum have atleast some TRUST and Faith in IV otherwise they wouldnt be here .....Maybe they are fearful of coming out in the open but like I said I am sure they will unite to take action under the IV umbrella
Also another point in your response that said ...how do we trust .....
I ask do we have a choice ... to not trust.
Trust is a strong word.
IV is based on trust and common goals I think
All the members on this forum have atleast some TRUST and Faith in IV otherwise they wouldnt be here .....Maybe they are fearful of coming out in the open but like I said I am sure they will unite to take action under the IV umbrella
more...
abhishek101
07-21 06:05 PM
Amway and the sister version of Amway Quixtar both are biggest Ponzi schemes, everybody who practices for these should be jailed with Bernie Madoff.
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harikris
05-31 01:40 AM
[Hiralal] ... and hence a better bet would be recapture ..
That's a much better suggestion than playing carrot-and-stick on real-estate bargains Mr. Hiralal.
Now, what would really be effective is for our own people that are already naturalized and integrated and assimilated and digested in the US system to stand up for our cause.
Please, do this for us seniors. As citizens and permanent residents, your voice will be effectively heard. Case in point - legislation on re-uniting families. To begin with, family based has nearly 60% more visas than employment based and nearly 80% of the visas available are exempt from per-country limits. And yet, the politicians want to reform family based immigration process because the people at the receiving end are their citizens. There is nothing wrong with it because the wait-time for extended family members are really long too which is a shame. But you see, there are bills that are actively discussed and passed in that category i.e fundamental solutions are being explored.
Why is Mr. Bobby Jindal and likes of him not taking up our cause actively? People use their "humble-background" in campaign times. Why do they fail in holding out a helping hand to people that are stuck in such "humble-background"? Do you see such apathy in other minority communities?
Thanks.
That's a much better suggestion than playing carrot-and-stick on real-estate bargains Mr. Hiralal.
Now, what would really be effective is for our own people that are already naturalized and integrated and assimilated and digested in the US system to stand up for our cause.
Please, do this for us seniors. As citizens and permanent residents, your voice will be effectively heard. Case in point - legislation on re-uniting families. To begin with, family based has nearly 60% more visas than employment based and nearly 80% of the visas available are exempt from per-country limits. And yet, the politicians want to reform family based immigration process because the people at the receiving end are their citizens. There is nothing wrong with it because the wait-time for extended family members are really long too which is a shame. But you see, there are bills that are actively discussed and passed in that category i.e fundamental solutions are being explored.
Why is Mr. Bobby Jindal and likes of him not taking up our cause actively? People use their "humble-background" in campaign times. Why do they fail in holding out a helping hand to people that are stuck in such "humble-background"? Do you see such apathy in other minority communities?
Thanks.
more...
newuser
09-23 09:15 PM
E-mailed everyone on the list. Only one bounced ID.
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shirish
10-24 03:34 PM
I have a question on a similer subject, but not exactly labour sub
In my case my previous company filed my labour, i got it approved, then i got my 140 approved too. But i had to leave the company (I could have stayed for the GC but had to leave- before leaving that company i worked in their india office for 2 years). Then they used my approved labour for another employee.
I have joined another company and back in the US now,i understand that the labour is not for me, i have to go for the labour again, but is it possible to use my previous PD.
In my case my previous company filed my labour, i got it approved, then i got my 140 approved too. But i had to leave the company (I could have stayed for the GC but had to leave- before leaving that company i worked in their india office for 2 years). Then they used my approved labour for another employee.
I have joined another company and back in the US now,i understand that the labour is not for me, i have to go for the labour again, but is it possible to use my previous PD.
more...
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Kodi
05-12 04:22 PM
Read my previous posts where I said tamils that doesn't live in the war areas lead life just as other nationalities. Its my fault that I didn't mention it again.
Ofcourse people in yalpanam and triconmole are leading a hard life due to the war. Yes, I was in trincomalee just 3 years ago when they re-opened A9. I'm not talking about tamils in the areas where the war is going on. Who chased the sinhala and muslims from those areas? Its was the LTTE that pretty much ruled those areas till now.
Are you saying tamils are discriminated in Colombo?
What I'm saying is if tamils are discriminated then they would be all over the country.
Ofcourse people in yalpanam and triconmole are leading a hard life due to the war. Yes, I was in trincomalee just 3 years ago when they re-opened A9. I'm not talking about tamils in the areas where the war is going on. Who chased the sinhala and muslims from those areas? Its was the LTTE that pretty much ruled those areas till now.
Are you saying tamils are discriminated in Colombo?
What I'm saying is if tamils are discriminated then they would be all over the country.
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tikka
07-03 06:38 PM
http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren...Bulle tin/who (http://digg.com/politics/Rep_Lofgren_Issues_Statement_on_Updated_Visa_Bulle tin/who)
It's showing up on the front page now as far as I can tell.
jazz
both stories are on top!!
we can also digg the comments
It's showing up on the front page now as far as I can tell.
jazz
both stories are on top!!
we can also digg the comments
more...
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Macaca
02-18 12:36 PM
What level of analytic skills are needed to comprehend the following?
Membership + Funding + Lobbying (Grass Root + Hill) + Patience = Chance of Success
Anything Else = Absolute Failure
Membership + Funding + Lobbying (Grass Root + Hill) + Patience = Chance of Success
Anything Else = Absolute Failure
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alterego
07-24 03:27 AM
For USCIS, 2007 was "let's reduce some backlog in EB3-category" year.
It looks like 2008 is " let's reduce some backlog in EB2-category" year.
On both occassions they hid their plans in right in front of us, and said "gotcha" to every one- AILA, IV prognosticators and Ron Gotchers of this world.
I doubt USCIS will openly Re-revise the horizontal spill over policy. If they do that they may be challenged again forcing them to Re-Re-revise which will make them look even more stupider than they do now.
There are other means by which USCIS can deliver justice- mafia style- but within the current law. They need additional help from DOS,DOL, etc.
examples- (1) Generally sit on EB-2 adjudications, delay them and say there are unused EB2 numbers and allow them to spill over to EB-3
(2) Clamp down even further on PERM - stretch it from 8 months to 36 months for every applicant including EB2-ROW, make even more unused numbers available to clear backlogs.
p.s
I do not harbor any ill-will towards ROW or any other category. I honestly think above things are possible. :)
Not only is that possible, but they are probably likely to do so. PERM adjudications have already slowed down. 140 PP has been all but squashed and 485 adjudications appear random. So your points are well taken.
It looks like 2008 is " let's reduce some backlog in EB2-category" year.
On both occassions they hid their plans in right in front of us, and said "gotcha" to every one- AILA, IV prognosticators and Ron Gotchers of this world.
I doubt USCIS will openly Re-revise the horizontal spill over policy. If they do that they may be challenged again forcing them to Re-Re-revise which will make them look even more stupider than they do now.
There are other means by which USCIS can deliver justice- mafia style- but within the current law. They need additional help from DOS,DOL, etc.
examples- (1) Generally sit on EB-2 adjudications, delay them and say there are unused EB2 numbers and allow them to spill over to EB-3
(2) Clamp down even further on PERM - stretch it from 8 months to 36 months for every applicant including EB2-ROW, make even more unused numbers available to clear backlogs.
p.s
I do not harbor any ill-will towards ROW or any other category. I honestly think above things are possible. :)
Not only is that possible, but they are probably likely to do so. PERM adjudications have already slowed down. 140 PP has been all but squashed and 485 adjudications appear random. So your points are well taken.
more...
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jonty_11
07-13 01:21 PM
mind u with bigots like tancredo winning their district every election, US is not far beind when it comes to RACISM
Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
Here's an article that appeared in Outlook (India) magazine 8 years ago. Apparently, the situation hasn't changed much since then:
http://outlookindia.com/full.asp?fname=international1&fodname=19990125&sid=1
Canada...The Grass Isn't Greener
Outlook: Jan 25, 1999
It's a dream gone sour. Thousands of Indian immigrants who land up in Canada are, more often than not, greeted with unemployment, racism, culture shocks...
SOHAILA CHARNALIA
"I didn't come here to be a chowkidar. I came here believing it to be a land of opportunity; a country that has never known the nepotism, the corruption, the shortages of India. I find I have only substituted one country for another... certainly not one set of values for another, as I hoped. " For Dr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, who was made to believe his qualifications would land him a good job fast, Canada was a real disappointment. When he did find work, it was that of a security guard. This, when the United Nations has declared Canada the best country to live in.
Some 200,000 people migrate to Canada every year, a majority from Asia. Hong Kong heads the list, followed by India, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. According to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada report, 21,249 Indians migrated to Canada in 1996 alone. (The high commission in Delhi, however, put the figure at 17,682). For many of them, especially those who are qualified professionals, dreams die fast. The life they face is never quite as rosy as made out by money-raking immigration lawyers.
Is the UN report the only reason for the increase in Indian applications for immigration? That, and the fact that it is easier to get entry into Canada than any other western country, says a Delhi-based immigration lawyer. Also, the fastest way of getting immigration to the US is through Canada.
Dhillon's disappointment is echoed by others. "I should have done my own homework before I applied", rues Aparna Shirodhkar, an architect from Mumbai, working as a saleswoman in a department store. "My husband is unemployed. I am the sole earner for a family of four. Sometimes I feel like running back". For Raheela Wasim, who's gone from being a schoolteacher in India to a telemarketer here, the experience was very discouraging, very disheartening. "I started losing confidence in myself. I felt I was not capable of the job market here".
Jobs are the sore point with Indian immigrants. The irony is, they are often more qualified than their Canadian peers, yet they end up with either no work, or with entry-level jobs that have no future. "I was not told that you require a Canadian degree to get a job here", says Paramjeet Parmar, a postgraduate in biochemistry from Bombay University. Parmar works as a telemarketer, which has turned her from an elite professional to an unskilled, daily wage labourer.
Ditto Opinder Khosla, a mechanical engineer from India, who has ended up as a salesman. "I found it difficult to even get an interview call", he says. The Canadian authorities are non-committal about the social and economic devaluation that the country imposes on immigrants.
"You can't come thinking you can just walk in and get a job in your profession", says Isabel Basset, minister of citizenship, culture and recreation, responsible for handling immigrants' woes in Canada's largest province, Ontario. But she admits that the licensing bodies regulating the professions need to be more accepting of people trained elsewhere.
That effort could only come from the government, argues Demetrius Oriopolis, co-author of Access, a government-commissioned report on assessing qualifications of newcomers, a 10-year-old report whose recommendations have still to be implemented. The report suggests certain rules of equivalence should be made binding on the regulatory bodies, which are exclusionist by nature.
But Basset won't even hear of making the regulatory bodies accountable: "We believe in private enterprise with a minimum of government checks. Besides, she argues, the exercise would cost millions of dollars".
Needless to say, the organisations are gleeful. Only professional bodies have the ability to determine what constitutes competence in a particular profession, was the cold response of the spokesperson for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, an institution that's responsible for the unemployment as well as under-employment of hundreds of qualified chartered accountants from India. They do not grant licences for professional practice, because Indian qualifications are not acceptable.
"What kind of society are we creating? Is it a new form of slavery?" asks an irate Bhausaheb Ubale, Canada's former human rights commissioner. Qualified immigrants work as drivers, guards. If this isn't job discrimination, what is? Dr Ubale lobbied intensely before Indians were accepted in the media. They now hold jobs as reporters and anchors, he says, but a lot more has to be done.
While skilled men may not be able to find jobs, their less qualified wives find it easier because they accept whatever comes their way. In several cases, the wives earn and support their husbands who are busy upgrading themselves, by studying for a Canadian degree. The working wife sometimes slogs away at three jobs. Sumitra starts at 7 am at her first job, teaching immigrants English; her second job as telemarketer starts at 4 pm. She gets back home around 8 pm, after which she begins selling cosmetics and household goods door to door. Till midnight. Sumitra supports three students, her husband and two school-going children.
The other problems Indians face here are the high taxes, high mortgage payments for new homes and the sort of hidebound laws that the benign anarchy back home hardly prepares them for. "You can't run a red light, you can't escape from a hit-and-run site even if you are just the witness, you can't smoke in public. Too many rules, so different from home", says Harminder Singh.
Two 'Indian' practices that do exist here, however, cause immigrants the maximum trouble. They are sifarish baazi (nepotism) and mufat ka kaam (free work). The Canadians, of course, have given them sophisticated terminologies, the former is referred to as 'networking' and the latter, 'volunteerism'. In a country where you are never encouraged to 'drop in' to meet someone, where the fax, the computer or the phone is used to complete most transactions, a job-seeking immigrant often has the phone put down on him. Polite but firm secretaries block access, unless the caller can drop a magic name that can help him gain entry. It takes at least a year for even the most enterprising immigrant to get to know somebody who can help him, before he can get a job at all.
'Networking' goes hand in hand with 'volunteerism'. Many immigrants put in a year of free service before they are given the job. Most writers and anchors of Asian origin are given only part-time jobs, paid by assignment and with no fringe benefits. The company insists on the word 'freelance' on their business cards, to make it clear they have not been hired by the company, and hence can't demand higher pay or any benefits. They can, and often are, fired at will.
Perhaps the greatest problem in Canada is the one that is least articulated--racism. According to a diversity report on Toronto (said to be the most ethnically diverse city in the world), the year 2000 will see its minority becoming its majority that is, 54 per cent of Toronto's population by the end of the millennium will be non-Whites. Keeping that in mind, it warned, if the discrimination against them in education, employment, income and housing, or incidents of hate are not addressed, it will lead to a growing sense of frustration.
"All our problems exist because of racism", sums up Anita Ferrao, who works in a firm. Anita has worked for them for three years and has got neither promotion nor raise. "As an Indian immigrant, you can never reach the top. They'll see to that. It's better to bring in some money here and start a business. It's the only way you'll do well here and be respected. "
But then if life is so tough here, why do people give up everything back home and come? The answer is the rosy picture of North America, inculcated right from childhood. Everything 'American' is considered superior. Better food, better homes, better life.
girlfriend pictures the Monaco Grand Prix
unseenguy
08-16 06:14 PM
In that case we have to do it everyday...not only when SRk was detained. are you doing that...no. Why?
There is difference between a common man and a celebrity. We did make noise about Abdul Kalam and Fernandez when the news came out. I think SRK was right to make an issue out of it.
I have been through secondary once and frisked about 4-5 times as a "singled out" case. Man I hated it, whole flight was watching what was going on. What if I make an issue? It will be dismissed as everyone goes through it.
When I went for secondary exam , I was released with 5 mins of questioning but was made to wait 30 mins. The secondary officer was nice, but the primary inspection officer was really mean. She picked on me coz I was smiling in the queue and talking to other people. and I laughed at the jokes cracked by other immigration officers.
3 out of 4 frisking incidents were insensitive and derogatory.
But voice of celebrity has more credence to it.
There is difference between a common man and a celebrity. We did make noise about Abdul Kalam and Fernandez when the news came out. I think SRK was right to make an issue out of it.
I have been through secondary once and frisked about 4-5 times as a "singled out" case. Man I hated it, whole flight was watching what was going on. What if I make an issue? It will be dismissed as everyone goes through it.
When I went for secondary exam , I was released with 5 mins of questioning but was made to wait 30 mins. The secondary officer was nice, but the primary inspection officer was really mean. She picked on me coz I was smiling in the queue and talking to other people. and I laughed at the jokes cracked by other immigration officers.
3 out of 4 frisking incidents were insensitive and derogatory.
But voice of celebrity has more credence to it.
hairstyles The next Monaco Grand Prix
Marphad
06-16 04:33 PM
Nice well thought out arguments. This is the essence of a healthy debate.
Guys,
I don't understand why we are doing this debate. Dilip (citizen's representative - dilipcr) feels that living standard is going down coz of H1 & L1 people and not because of 2 wars we are fighting. He needs help. You can do it by not answering him.
PLEASE STOP!
Guys,
I don't understand why we are doing this debate. Dilip (citizen's representative - dilipcr) feels that living standard is going down coz of H1 & L1 people and not because of 2 wars we are fighting. He needs help. You can do it by not answering him.
PLEASE STOP!
Legal
07-24 07:26 PM
VDLRAO Ji,
Can you throw some light on the points said by Attorney Ron. Is Ron overstating numbers or some thing is missing in calculations
My conclusion is just like every one else Ron Gotcher is also speculating.
Can you throw some light on the points said by Attorney Ron. Is Ron overstating numbers or some thing is missing in calculations
My conclusion is just like every one else Ron Gotcher is also speculating.
looivy
03-27 02:35 PM
Your party has to win first before you can become a PM. Right???
How do you know that any of these guys will be a PM before their party wins. This is not Indian PM Idol.
How do you know that any of these guys will be a PM before their party wins. This is not Indian PM Idol.
