newsletter ICCRC is the national regulatory body designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to regulate the immigration and citizenship consulting as well as the international student advising professions. 2016 - Edition 5 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Micro website launched to warn the public of immigration fraud Minister McCallum Says Canada will make room for 10,000 privately sponsored Syrian refugees UN seeks to resettle one-tenth of 4.8 million Syrian refugees amid fear Minister McCallum addresses UN conference on Syrian refugees Government of Canada presents travel smart app and electronic travel authorization Bay of Quinte communities hope website will retain immigrants Meet Honourable Shirley Bond, British Columbia’s Minister responsible for immigration Meet Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s Minister responsible for immigration Meet Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Nova Scotia’s Minister of immigration Career, Education & Settlement Immigrant Fair – Toronto & Winnipeg Voting for RBC’s top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards ICCRC ends successful 2016 Fraud Prevention Month Reminders to Members Changes to e-Transfer payments IMPORTANT DATES April 1 April 29 July 1 Quarterly fees due Deadline to complete the Developing the RCIC and Client Relationship course Compliance Audit deadline MICRO WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO WARN THE PUBLIC OF IMMIGRATION FRAUD ICCRC ended a successful 2016 Fraud Prevention Month campaign by launching a micro website to warn the public of immigration fraud. The site – www.immigrationfraud.ca (English) and www.fraudealimmigration.ca (French) aims to provide the public with important information they need to make informed decisions when coming to Canada. Fraud Prevention Month is an annual campaign by businesses, organizations and government to draw attention to the perils of fraud. Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. MINISTER MCCALLUM SAYS CANADA WILL MAKE ROOM FOR 10,000 MORE PRIVATELY SPONSORED SYRIAN REFUGEES Canada will process an additional 10,000 applications from private sponsorship groups wishing to help resettle Syrian refugees, says Immigration Minister John McCallum following complaints from Canadians who felt the government had scaled back its efforts after reaching its goal to resettle 25,000 Syrians. McCallum says he has instructed the Department of Immigration to expedite the process of all privately sponsored applications submitted up until today — March 31. "We are doing everything we can to accommodate the very welcomed desire on the part of Canadians to sponsor refugees," McCallum said in a phone interview with CBC News from Berlin. The minister is in Germany where he will meet with the German interior minister later today. The government announced earlier this month it would seek to admit 44,800 refugees by the end of 2016 — a mix of government assisted and privately sponsored refugees from different countries. McCallum said today's announcement is in addition to the 17,800 privately sponsored refugees the government intends to resettle by the end of 2016. "In addition I'm adding this commitment to honour the 10,000 in our inventory of privately sponsored refugees by the end of 2016," McCallum said in a phone interview with CBC News from Berlin. "We're going all out to meet the demand." "The Sponsorship Agreement Holders Council has expressed satisfaction with this... now I understand that not everyone is necessarily happy, but I think we've gone out of our way to create maximum room for privately sponsored refugees," McCallum said. Brian Dyck, the chair of the Sponsorship Agreement Holders council, told CBC News he welcomed McCallum's announcement. "We had asked that Syrian applications submitted from January 1 to March 1 not be counted in the cap and they extended that up to March 31," Dyck said on Thursday after his group received a letter from the minister detailing the new changes. "This is a significant letter. It basically gave us everything we asked for and a bit more." While McCallum is making more room for privately sponsored refugees, he said the processing of their applications won't be finalized "before the end of 2016 or early in 2017." Source: www.cbc.ca 2 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. UN SEEKS TO RESETTLE ONE-TENTH OF 4.8 MILLION SYRIAN REFUGEES AMID FEAR GENEVA: The United Nations said on Tuesday it was seeking to re-settle more than 450,000 Syrian refugees, some one-tenth of those now in neighbouring countries, by the end of 2018, but conceded that it was battling widespread fear and politicisation of the issue. A ministerial-level conference is being held in Geneva on Wednesday with the participation of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “The international context we are in - and nobody is naive about that - we know very well we’re dealing with a complex situation, increasing fear in many countries, increasing politicisation of refugee, displacement and asylum issues. This is a difficult thing,” UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news briefing in response to a question. Meanwhile, Wealthy countries should start taking responsibility when it comes to resettling Syrian refugees from overburdened Middle Eastern countries, the aid group Oxfam demanded ahead of a UN conference on legal immigration channels for Syrians. While 4.8 million Syrian refugees have been taken in by countries near Syria, rich countries have so far only pledged 179,000 places for Syrians under long-term resettlement programmes and other legal immigration schemes, according to UN data. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which is hosting Wednesday’s conference, wants governments to pledge 480,000 places, or 10 per cent of the total, before the end of 2018, under programmes that are separate from normal asylum procedures. “Traditional resettlement countries like the US are not pulling their weight,” Britain-based Oxfam wrote in a report. If the United States took over a fair share of the burden, according to the size of its economy, it would have to resettle nearly 171,000 Syrians, but Washington has pledged only 7 per cent of that amount, Oxfam calculated. Source: Daily Times (Pakistan) 3 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. MINISTER MCCALLUM ADDRESSES UN CONFERENCE ON SYRIAN REFUGEES March 30, 2016—GENEVA— Today, at the High Level Meeting on Pathways for Admission of Syrian Refugees in Geneva, Canada pledged to continue to resettle refugees from Syria throughout 2016 and beyond. Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship John McCallum also expressed support for the UN Refugee Agency’s efforts to secure the participation of member countries. Since the UN’s first call to resettlement countries in June 2013, Canada has welcomed more than 29,300 Syrian refugees. Canada will continue to resettle both government-supported and privately sponsored Syrian refugees throughout 2016. Our plan this year calls for us to resettle up to 44,800 refugees, the majority of them being Syrian. This level triples the number of refugees Canada has resettled in recent years. In addition to Syrian refugees, Canada has several multi-year commitments under way including for Congolese, Eritreans and Colombians. The resettlement of individuals from other nationalities identified by the UNHCR and private sponsors in Canada will also continue. Complementing this commitment, Canada will play a leading role by providing training and technical support to other countries to help increase the number of global resettlement spaces; working with the World University Service of Canada to explore opportunities to expand the Student Refugee Program; and by providing a one-year extension of the relaxation of certain administrative requirements. Taken together, these steps will solidify Canada’s position as a strong and innovative partner in the UN Refugee Agency’s response to one of our generation’s worst humanitarian crises. Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 4 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. GOVERNMENT OF CANADA PRESENTS TRAVEL SMART APP AND ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION March 15, 2016 - Mississauga, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada - Omar Alghabra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs), and Arif Virani, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today met with Canadian travellers at Pearson International Airport to launch the government’s Travel Smart app. This new app makes it easy to access real-time information, including entry and exit requirements, border wait times, passport validity and more. “The Government of Canada is committed to providing the right tools and technologies to help Canadians be prepared for today’s evolving travel environment, said Alghabra. “The Travel Smart app is one more useful tool that provides timely information to Canadians at the touch of a screen and on the go, whether they are travelling to a sunny destination or working or studying overseas. Travel Smart will also help them stay connected in case of an emergency abroad.” Representatives of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and airlines were also on hand to underline how good planning and preparation can reduce the stresses associated with air travel. Today also marked the implementation of Canada’s new entry requirement, the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). This requirement applies to foreign nationals, from countries whose citizens normally do not need a visa to travel to Canada, who are travelling to or transiting through Canada by air. From now until fall 2016 a leniency period is in place to allow travellers without an eTA to board their flights as long as they have appropriate travel documents. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents do not need an eTA. Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 5 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. BAY OF QUINTE COMMUNITIES HOPE WEBSITE WILL RETAIN IMMIGRANTS Belleville – If the Quinte area gains more immigrants, the region will broaden its population base and will likely see more entrepreneurs to create jobs and more skilled tradespeople to fill vacant jobs, local mayors and business leader say. With that in mind, officials and elected members from local municipalities gathered at Loyalist College on Wednesday, March 23 to celebrate the launch of a new immigration website to promote the Bay of Quinte region to the country’s newcomers. The website is www.immigration.bayofquinte.ca. It tells people what it’s like to “live, work, play and learn” in the area. It also contains videos of interviews with several new Canadians who’ve moved to and have come to love the region. “Our goal with this project was to create an Immigration Portal that would share information about our region but also help tell the unique and wonderful story of the Bay of Quinte region to new Canadians looking for a place to call home,” said Aaron Bell, a communications specialist hired to create the site. “We were able to capture several unique stories about people from across the world that have made our community their new home and we are sharing those stories to encourage other people to see the wonderful opportunities that we have in our community.” Bay of Quinte Living council was a partner in the project. Its president, Jon VanHuizen, was excited to be part of the launch, as he feels the portal will tell people that there are plenty of opportunities to grow businesses in the region. “We have a region that’s a hidden gem,” he said to an audience in Alumni Hall that included Belleville Mayor Taso Christopher, Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison and Prince Edward County Mayor Robert Quaiff. “I’m extremely happy with this. It’s not only the best portal in the province, it’s our first.” Bell explained that the goal was to create a site that was user-friendly and easy to navigate. The main sections of the website were translated so pages also appear in French, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Korean. Former President of the Bay of Quinte Tourism Council Ryan Williams also spoke at the event, and addressed one of the reasons it’s important to embrace immigration. “We’re a nation of immigrants, a mosaic of different cultures,” he said. He also said efforts to promote immigration are part of a greater business strategy for the region. By 2030, 100 per cent of the region’s population growth is expected to come from immigration, he said. Source: Stephen Petrick, Belleville News 6 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. MEET THE HONOURABLE SHIRLEY B OND, BRITISH COLUMBIA’S MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMIGRATION Shirley Bond was elected in 2001 and 2005 as the MLA for Prince George-Mount Robson, and re-elected in 2009 and 2013 as the MLA for Prince George-Valemount. Shirley was appointed Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour on June 10, 2013. In this role she will drive government’s commitment for job creation and economic development by accelerating the BC Jobs Plan and ensure that British Columbians are first in line for the jobs of today and tomorrow by executing on B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, which will reengineer B.C.’s education and training system. She also works closely with Destination BC to meet the targets laid out in the Province’s tourism strategy. With more than 14 years of Cabinet experience, Shirley has served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Minister of Education, Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy, Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Health Services, and was the first female to hold the position of Attorney General in British Columbia, a title she held while Minister of Justice. She has been honoured as a trailblazer in the B.C. justice system. Shirley currently serves as the Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Strong Economy, Vice Chair for the Core Review Committee and she is Vice Chair of the Treasury Board and the Priorities and Planning Committee. Before her election to the Legislative Assembly, she served three terms on the Prince George School Board, the last as chair. She also worked with the continuing education department of the Prince George School District, becoming its business manager. She was given the B.C. Interior, North & Yukon Woman of Distinction Award for her work in public education. Shirley lives in Prince George with Bill, her husband of more than 30 years, and they love spending time with their twin adult children and their families, especially their grandsons Caleb and Cooper. Source: www.leg.bc.ca 7 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. MEET THE HONOURABLE JEREMY HARRISON, SASKATCHEWAN’S MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMIGRATION Jeremy Harrison was elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in November 2007, in the constituency of Meadow Lake. Upon his election, he became the youngest Canadian ever to have been elected to both the House of Commons and a provincial Legislative Assembly. He first served as Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Resources, Northern Resources and Oil Sands Development until he was appointed to Cabinet on May 29, 2009. He served for over a year as the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Deputy Government House Leader. He also served as Minister of Enterprise Saskatchewan and Minister Responsible for Trade. Jeremy has also held the position of Government House Leader. Jeremy has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Canadian History, a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Juris Doctor (Law) degree. In 2004, at the age of 26, he became one of the youngest Canadians ever to sit in the House of Commons. Jeremy was a member of the legislature’s Board of Internal Economy, member of the legislation and regulation review committee, and Chair of the government’s Red Tape Reduction committee. Jeremy and his wife Alaina, a school teacher, have one son, MacGregor and one daughter, Finnley. On June 5, 2014, Jeremy was appointed the Associate Minister of the Economy responsible for Trade, Tourism, Innovation and Immigration. Source: www.saskatchewan.ca 8 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. MEET THE HONOURABLE LENA METLEGE DIAB, NOVA SCOTIA’S MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION Minister Diab was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature in 2013, as the Member for Halifax Armdale, and appointed to Cabinet as the first female Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well as Minister of Immigration. Last summer, she took on the Immigration portfolio full-time. Minister Diab is passionate about making Nova Scotia a more diverse and welcoming province and she’s leading the way. Under her leadership, the Province nominated more people for permanent residency in 2015 than ever before. Nova Scotia was also the first province in Canada to take advantage of Express Entry, launching two Express Entry pilots and two new streams for immigrant entrepreneurs in the last year. Minister Diab is also leading the Province’s humanitarian initiative to resettle Syrian refugees, working closely with the Government of Canada, settlement service providers and other key partners. In her spare time, Minister Diab enjoys volunteering. She has held many volunteer positions over the last 30 years, including serving seven terms as the President of the Canadian Lebanon Society of Halifax. Her compassion and strong record of public service have not gone unnoticed. She was the first recipient of the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia’s Professional of the Year Award and has received other honours, including the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the Province of Nova Scotia Volunteer Award, the Halifax Municipality Volunteer Award and most recently the 2015 Progress Women of Excellence Award. Minister Diab is the daughter of first generation immigrants to Canada and the eldest of six children. She was born in Nova Scotia but moved to Lebanon at the age of 2, then returned to Halifax at the age of 11, escaping civil war. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science, a Masters of Public Administration and a law degree. She was admitted to the Nova Scotia Barristers Society in 1991 and had a diverse legal career for more than 20 years before being elected to the Legislature. She is the proud mother of four children and has one grandchild. She speaks English, Arabic and French. Source: www.novascotiaimmigration.com 9 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. CAREER, EDUCATION & SETTLEMENT IMMIGRANT FAIR IN TORONTO Canadian Immigrant magazine, in association with Centennial College, is proudly presenting the 6th annual Career, Education and Settlement Immigrant Fair, on Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (255 Front St. W, Toronto). Free admission. The 6th annual event is expected to be bigger than ever, with: diverse exhibitors, including employers, education institutes and social service agencies interactive activities like a resumé clinic, speed mentoring and networking opportunities inspirational speakers’ lineup, including a keynote speaker, practical workshops and accent reduction class. Want to exhibit? Contact Ricky Bajaj at [email protected] / 905-273-8170 or 416-856-6304 for more information on participating. 10 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. CAREER, EDUCATION & SETTLEMENT IMMIGRANT FAIR IN WINNIPEG The first Winnipeg-based Career, Education and Settlement Immigrant Fair is coming to the Radisson Winnipeg Downtown (288 Portage Ave.) on Monday, May 30, 2016, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., offering a unique and exciting environment for immigrants who are looking for information and inspiration as they search for jobs, go back to school and settle into their new home. Free admission! Building on the success of similar events held in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax, the Winnipeg fair will feature: diverse exhibitors, including employers, education institutes and social service agencies interactive activities like a resumé clinic and networking opportunities inspirational speakers’ lineup, including a keynote speaker and practical workshops. “With a three-pronged approach of settlement, careers and education, the fair brings to life our mission to inform, educate and motivate new Canadians,” said Gautam Sharma, group publisher of Canadian Immigrant. “This is a must-attend event for new immigrants in Canada. Our goal is to inform and motivate new Canadians as they begin and continue their settlement journey. We aim to provide essential information and tips on job hunting, accreditation, upgrading of education, looking for a home and more.” For more information on exhibiting or sponsoring the event, contact Alla Gordeeva at [email protected] or 778-558-3397. 11 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. VOTING FOR RBC’S TOP 25 CANADIAN IMMIGRANT AWARDS RBC has chosen the top 75 finalists for the 8th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. To read their outstanding stories and vote for your top three finalists, click here. ICCRC ENDS SUCCESSFUL 2016 FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH On the final day of the campaign ICCRC attended a symposium on immigration fraud in Toronto hosted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). At the event organized to raise awareness and to provide preventative information on frauds specific to immigration that target newcomers to Canada, ICCRC was on hand to respond to the media’s questions on Canadian immigration and fraud. ICCRC’s 2016 Fraud Prevention Month consisted of daily social media messaging to the public around the world stressing the need to exercise vigilance in retaining professional services when immigrating to Canada. ICCRC also advertised in local newspapers throughout Canada, and participated in various initiatives including a national conference on immigration. ICCRC is a member of the Fraud Prevention Forum facilitated by the Competition Bureau. REMINDERS TO MEMBERS 12 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public. REMINDERS TO MEMBERS PLEASE USE “RCIC” DESIGNATION PROPERLY The Council has noticed that some Members have been using titles other than Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, including Certified, Accredited, Registered, Licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant or Immigration Counsel. In the interest of avoiding confusion for consumers and in safeguarding the profession, we ask that you only use the official title, “Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant”, and professional designation, RCIC, on your websites, business cards, email correspondences and any marketing collateral. Since RCIC is a professional designation, we encourage all Members to include it as a postnominal after their names. For example, Jane Doe, RCIC. DO NOT POST ICCRC I.D. CARDS AND CERTIFICATES ONLINE Posting copies of ICCRC membership certificates and identification cards online is strictly prohibited. ICCRC has witnessed an increase the misuse of certificates and identifications and reminds members to be vigilant of fraud. We recommend that they are removed as soon as possible. CHANGES TO E-TRANSFER PAYMENTS After May 31, ICCRC will no longer be accepting Internet email money transfers (e-transfers). We are moving to an online banking payment system, effective June 1 that will be more cost effective, convenient and efficient for Members and ICCRC. Should you wish to continue paying through your bank, please use its online banking system. ICCRC has made arrangements with BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, HSBC National, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust to list ICCRC as a payment recipient. Simply select “ICCRC” as the payee to make your payment. Please contact your bank directly for assistance if you have any questions regarding online banking. Stay in Touch 5500 North Service Rd., Suite 1002 | Burlington | ON | L7L 6W6 Tel: 1-877-836-7543 Fax: 1-877-315-9868 www.iccrc-crcic.ca | [email protected] 13 Regulating Immigration Professionals. Protecting the Public.
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