DOCSLIB.ORG

HOW to MOVE to CANADA from the UNITED KINGDOM Immigration Options for UK Citizens

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
HOW to MOVE to CANADA from the UNITED KINGDOM Immigration Options for UK Citizens HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM Immigration Options For UK Citizens Evelyn L. Ackah FOUNDER AND MANAGING LAWYER ACKAH BUSINESS IMMIGRATION LAW Hello and thank you for downloading our eBook! A s an immigrant to Canada, as well as an immigration lawyer, I’m delighted that you are interested in learning more about moving to Canada. Canada is a beautiful country that values freedom and equality for all. It is a welcoming and progressive country that values and appreciates cultural diversity and quality of life. Canada is truly a multicultural country that welcomes people from all over the world. We have excellent health care and education, and we take pride in our vibrant and thriving economy. Three Canadian cities - Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto (Ackah Law has offices in all 3 cities!) are continuously ranked in the top 10 most livable cities in the world. In addition, all 10 provinces and 3 territories are always looking for skilled immigrants to help continue to grow our economy, transfer skills and knowledge and establish businesses. 1 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. Canada to Welcome Over 1 Million Immigrants 2021 - 2023 Over the next three years, the Canadian government has pledged to welcome over 400,000 immigrants per year: 2021: 401,000 2022: 411,000 2023: 421,000 This is the highest admission target to Canada in more than 100 years! The key drivers for the three-year immigration plan are the Provincial Nominee Programs (across the country) and the Express Entry Program which will total 65% of the growth. These are the main Permanent Residence programs in Canada. Our eBook is intended to provide information for United Kingdom citizens who want to immigrate to Canada: How to do it How long it takes What are the challenges How you can make it as smooth as possible by working with an experienced immigration lawyer Please feel free to contact me to discuss your immigration questions and plans. We are here to help you Cross Borders Seamlessly into Canada. Evelyn L. Ackah Founder and Managing Lawyer, Ackah Business Immigration Law www.ackahlaw.com 2 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING TO CANADA? WE CAN HELP. Contact Ackah Business Immigration Law: Calgary: (403) 452-9515 Vancouver: (604) 985-9512 Toronto: (416) 643-7177 North America: 1(800) 932-1190 [email protected] @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. 3 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. TABLE OF CONTENTS 05 INTRODUCTION TO ACKAH BUSINESS IMMIGRATION LAW 07 WHY UK CITIZENS WANT TO MOVE TO CANADA 09 IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS IN BRITAIN 11 PERMANENT RESIDENCE: EXPRESS ENTRY 20 GLOBAL TALENT STREAM 23 CETA: CANADA–EUROPEAN UNION COMPREHENSIVE FREE TRADE AGREEMENT 29 TEMPORARY WORK PERMITS 31 STUDY PERMITS 34 PARENT AND GRANDPARENTS CANADIAN VISAS 36 SUPER VISA 37 CANADA'S START UP VISA PROGRAM FOR ENTREPRENEURS 39 CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS PROGRAM 41 THE CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP TEST 44 CHECKLISTS 4 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. 1.INTRODUCTION Immigration law is about people. At Ackah Business Immigration Law our greatest strength lies in the trusting relationships we develop with our clients and their families. With over 30 years of combined experience, our law firm has earned the respect of immigration officials and consular staff around the globe. Immigration laws and regulations change quickly, and our team of personal and business immigration lawyers and paralegals are at the forefront of these rapid changes. Ackah Business Immigration Law focuses exclusively on immigration law . We provide strategic counsel based on the most recent immigration developments affecting people who want to move to Canada. As one of Canada’s most recognized boutique law firms specializing in Citizenship and Immigration Law , our team provides thoughtful and expert legal advice to deliver proven and effective immigration law strategies to our clients. In addition, our high ethical integrity and commitment to client care has earned our firm its national reputation for excellence. Our goal is to help individuals and companies to achieve their objectives by working with our specialized immigration lawyers and paralegals to assist key personnel and their families with crossing borders seamlessly. Our innovative approach to client management, strategic advice, alternative fee structures and 24/7/365 accessibility to our immigration team is what makes our firm truly unique. 5 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. Immigration Services We provide a full range of Canadian and United States cross-border immigration services, including: Business Visitor Cross-border Applications Work Permit Applications Express Entry Applications Permanent Residence Applications - Provincial Nomination Citizenship Applications Assistance with Inadmissibility issues due to criminality or medical issues Study Permits This eBook is intended to provide a general overview of how UK citizens can move to Canada and provides a general framework of Canadian immigration law. It is not intended to be relied upon as a legal advice. It is for general information purposes only. Please contact Ackah Business Immigration Law for specific legal advice. Crossing Borders Seamlessly™: Call Ackah Law BEFORE You Fly 6 of 45 HOWH OTOW MTOO VMEO VE TOT COA NCAADNAA FDRAOM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M MWI GWRWA.TNIAOMNE O PFBT I ZO.CNOSM F O R U K C I T I Z E N S ©2018 NAME BIZ LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED A G U I D E F O R A M E R I C A N S L O O K I N G N O R T H Copyright © 20201 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. 2. WHY UK CITIZENS WANT TO MOVE TO CANADA The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, and today the battle in government continues to cause stress, fear and confusion for citizens of the UK. With the passing of Brexit, many Brits are looking for information on how to move to Canada from the UK. Every year between 6,000 and 9,000 UK citizens become permanent residents of Canada. English is the language spoken in most of Canada, although French is also an official language. As part of the Commonwealth, Canada has a culture similar to the United Kingdom but is an independent country. UK citizens can visit Canada for up to 6 months without a visa, but a longer or permanent stay requires filing an application to stay in Canada. Temporary work permits and applications for Temporary and Permanent Residence in Canada are required for any foreign nationals who want to work or live in Canada. These are issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and give authorization for someone to live and work legally in Canada. 7 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. Canada Offers Opportunity Young British voters voted overwhelmingly against Brexit because they fear a resulting loss of jobs and economic opportunities. Canada wants skilled, educated foreigners to help grow the economy and build a stronger Canada. But that doesn't mean it is easy to move to Canada. Just as with any other legal process, applying to immigrate to Canada can be complicated and confusing. Citizens of the UK who want to move to Canada have a distinct advantage in meeting two key requirements for eligibility to move to Canada: they speak English they share a common cultural heritage and are likely to successfully adapt to life in Canada 8 of 45 HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA FROM THE UK @ackahlaw WE DON'T SELL DREAMS, WE SELL SUCCESS. I M M I G R A T I O N O P T I O N S F O R U K C I T I Z E N S Copyright © 2021 Evelyn Ackah All rights reserved. 3. CANADA WELCOMES IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS Are You an Immigrant Entrepreneur Who Wants to Leave England Due to Brexit? Four years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, Brexit went into effect in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2020.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Fundamental Change in Skilled Worker Selection Here
    Reproduced by permission of Thomson Reuters Canada Limited. Subscriptions to ImmQuest are available at 416.609.3800 (Toronto and Volume 13, Issue 3 International); 1.800.387.5164 (Toll Free Canada March 2017 and United States); www.carswell.com “Qui bene interrogat bene docet” “He who questions well teaches well” Editor-in-chief: Mario D. Bellissimo C.S. Fundamental Change in INSIDE Skilled Worker Selection Focus—Selecting Skilled Workers Cobus Kriek, RCIC1 The Federal Government’s most recent policy manoeuver has quietly and fundamentally shifted the unsteady balance between • Fundamental Change in Skilled Worker its posited concept of an immigrant’s human capital value and Selection. 1 Canadian industry’s access to a vital immigrant labour source. — Cobus Kriek, RCIC On 12 November 2016, Ministerial Instructions were published Case Tracker: Cases You Should Know! . 6 2 • in the Gazette, which effected a simple reduction in points — Mario D. Bellissimo, C.S. awarded for “arranged employment” of Express Entry applicants, while simultaneously constituting one of the biggest changes to skilled immigration in decades. This article will consider the change (brought into force on 19 November 2016) which effected the reduction in points awarded in the Express Entry system3 for “arranged employment”4 from 600 points to 50 points out of a total score of 1200 points (‘the November AE change’). It will achieve this by analysing: the immediate impact of the November AE change, the lack of ratio- nal and accountability of the change, as well as placing the change in the historical context of Canadian Immigration law. 1 This is part 1 of a two-part article.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigration and Populism in Canada, Australia, and the United States
    CDDRL WORKING PAPERS JULY 2019 IMMIGRATION AND POPULISM IN CANADA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UNITED STATES Francis Fukuyama Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and Mosbacher Director of FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Naz Gocek Naz Gocek, a Canadian citizen, is currently a student at Stanford and member of the Honors Program at CDDRL. This study was made possible through the generous funding of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto. About CDDRL Since 2002, the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University has collaborated widely with academics, policymakers and practitioners around the world to advance knowledge about the conditions for and interactions among democracy, broad-based economic development, human rights, and the rule of law. The mission of CDDRL is to understand how countries can overcome poverty, instability, and abusive rule to become prosperous, just, democratic, and well-governed states. This concern for the overall trajectory of national development—and for the intricate links among the economic, political, legal, social, and health dimensions of development—sets CDDRL apart from other research centers. Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Stanford University Encina Hall 616 Serra Mall Stanford, CA 94305-6055 Voice: 650-723-4610 Fax: 650-724-2996 Website: http://cddrl.stanford.edu/ - 1 - IMMIGRATION AND POPULISM IN CANADA, AUSTRALIA, AND THE UNITED STATES Francis Fukuyama and Naz Gocek1 1 Francis Fukuyama is Mosbacher Director of Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL).
    [Show full text]
  • Strengths and Weaknesses of Canadian Express Entry System: Experts’ Perceptions
    Strengths and Weaknesses of Canadian Express Entry System: Experts’ Perceptions OLDRICH BURES ,RADKA KLVANOVA AND ROBERT STOJANOV This article offers an analysis of the first four years of functioning of Express Entry, a new on-line application management system to select skilled entrants for Canada’s key economic immigration programs leading to permanent residence. Based on inter- views with 20 experts on Canadian immigration policies, we identified a number of strengths and weaknesses of the Canadian Express Entry system related to four areas: immigration policy making, processing of applications, selection of immigrants, and retention of immigrants. Since these areas are integral parts of immigration policies in all countries and Canada is a long-term leader in the design of points-based systems for selection of skilled immigrants, we also specify several lessons from the Canadian experience with the Express Entry system for other countries seeking to attract skilled immigrants. Introduction The global competition for talent has intensified in the past two decades, with more and more states declaring an explicit interest in attracting skilled immigrants and drafting skill selective immigration policies to ful- fill their economic and demographic needs (Czaika and Haas 2013; Kapur and McHale 2005). This has led to the proliferation of policies aimed at raising the levels of immigration of high-skilled workers. According to the UN Population Division (2017), the proportion of states with high-skilled immigration policies doubled between 2005 and 2015, rising from 22 per- cent to 44 percent. For more than half a century, Canada has been among the van- guards of this global trend of developing human-capital oriented immigra- tion schemes.
    [Show full text]
  • Time to Act for the Future of Francophone Communities: Redressing the Immigration Imbalance
    TIME TO ACT FOR THE FUTURE OF FRANCOPHONE COMMUNITIES: REDRESSING THE IMMIGRATION IMBALANCE JOINT REPORT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGES GRAHAM FRASER AND ONTARIO FRENCH LANGUAGE SERVICES COMMISSIONER FRANÇOIS BOILEAU NOVEMBER 2014 www.officiallanguages.gc.ca www.csfontario.ca @OCOL Canada @FLSContario © Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada 2014 Cat. No.: SF31-119/2014 ISBN: 978-1-100-54849-4 Table of Contents 1 COMMISSIONERS’ PREFACE .................................................................................................................................. 4 2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 6 3 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 3.1 The importance of immigration for Canada ............................................................................................ 6 3.2 Importance of immigration for Francophone minority communities ..................................................... 7 3.3 Legal framework .....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • PEI PNP Express Entry Application Guide
    Table of Contents Background ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Use of Representatives ........................................................................................................................ 1 Step 1: Assess Your Eligibility ................................................................................................................... 2 Step 2: Create a Profile ............................................................................................................................ 2 Step 3: Invitation to Apply ....................................................................................................................... 2 Step 4: Prepare your Application ............................................................................................................. 3 Step 5: Submit Your Application............................................................................................................... 3 Step 6: Submit Your Application for Permanent Residency ....................................................................... 4 Step 7: Landing in Prince Edward Island ................................................................................................... 4 Appendix A: Points Grid ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • How Immigration Policies Shape Gender‐ Based Violence Against Immigrants Who Have a Temporary Or Precarious Status
    25/02/2020 How Immigration Policies Shape Gender‐ based Violence against Immigrants Who Have a Temporary or Precarious Status Rupaleem Bhuyan & Margarita Pintin-Perez University of Toronto | OCASI Learning Network & Knowledge Hub Wednesday, February 26, 2020 | 1:00-2:15 PM EST Welcome to our Learning Network & Knowledge Hub Webinar Understanding how immigration policies shape gender-based violence among immigrants who have a temporary or precarious status Wednesday, February 26, 2020 | 1:00-2:15 PM EST • All attendees are muted during the webinar. • If you are experiencing issues, please type into the chat box. • If you have a question for the webinar speakers, please type into the Q&A box and we will spend 15 mins near the end on Questions and Answers. • There will be an evaluation link in the chat box at the end of the webinar, please fill out the form as your feedback will guide our future webinars. • Once you complete the evaluation form, you will be directed to a website where you will be prompted to enter your full name and email address. A certificate of attendance will be generated and emailed to you. • Presentation slides are posted on our website, there will be a link in the chat box. • The webinar recording will be posted on our website within the next few days: http://www.vawlearningnetwork.ca/ln-kh-webinars 1 25/02/2020 Canadian Immigration Policies and Precarious Status Forms of Gender-Based Violence Overview against Immigrants Case Example: Migrant Caregivers Myths & Counternarratives Community-Based Responses Action Steps 2 25/02/2020 Policy Context Early Canadian History .1867, Queen & British govt approve Canada’s confederation .1869, Immigration Act .1876,Canadian Indian Act Context .1885, Chinese Immigration Act .
    [Show full text]
  • Express Entry and Economic Immigration in Canada
    Dalhousie Law Journal Volume 42 Issue 1 42:1 (2019) Special Issue: Immigration Article 5 Law 4-1-2019 Do the Means Change the Ends? Express Entry and Economic Immigration in Canada Asha Kaushal Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.schulichlaw.dal.ca/dlj Part of the Immigration Law Commons This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Asha Kaushal, “Do the Means Change the Ends? Express Entry and Economic Immigration in Canada” (2019) 42:1 DLJ 83. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Schulich Law Scholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dalhousie Law Journal by an authorized editor of Schulich Law Scholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DALHOUSIE LAW JOURNAL DALHOUSIE LAW DALHOUSIE LAW JOURNAL Volume 42 Number 1 Spring 2019 Immigration The Battle for the Wrong Mistake: Risk Salience in Canadian Refugee Status Decision-making Hilary Evans Cameron Immigration, Xenophobia and Equality Rights Donald Galloway Once More unto the Breach: Confronting the Standard of Review (Again) and the Imperative of Correctness Review when Interpreting the Scope of Refugee Protection Gerald Heckman and Amar Khoday Do the Means Change the Ends? Express Entry and Economic Immigration in Canada Asha Kaushal Medical Inadmissibility, and Physically and Mentally Disabled Would-be Immigrants: Canada’s Story Continues Constance MacIntosh Migrant Workers, Rights, and the Rule of Law: Responding to the Justice Gap Sarah Marsden Quand voyager mène au renvoi: analyse critique de la législation canadienne sur la perte du statut de résident permanent liée à la perte de l’asile Hélène Mayrand The MV Sun Sea: A Case Study on the Need for Greater Accountability Mechanisms at Canada Border Services Agency 93 Lobat Sadrehashemi Asha Kaushal* Do the Means Change the Ends? Express Entry and Economic Immigration in Canada The relationship between economy and community is a constitutive tension in the Canadian immigration state.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Federal Citizenship and Immigration Policies and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Canada
    Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 7-19-2017 12:00 AM The Relationship between Federal Citizenship and Immigration Policies and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Canada Rashed Al-Haque The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Marianne Larsen The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Education A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Rashed Al-Haque 2017 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Education Policy Commons, Higher Education Commons, Immigration Law Commons, International and Comparative Education Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, and the Public Policy Commons Recommended Citation Al-Haque, Rashed, "The Relationship between Federal Citizenship and Immigration Policies and the Internationalization of Higher Education in Canada" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4676. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4676 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract Using Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a way to do Critical Policy Analysis (CPA), this instrumental case study explores the relationships between citizenship and immigration (CI) policies and the internationalization of Canadian higher education. By utilizing a critical- sociomaterial approach, the research exposes actors and actor-networks that are otherwise overlooked in these policy areas. Moreover, this lens underscores the impacts and consequences of policy and how the enrollment and/or exclusion of actors in actor-networks enables certain actors to exert control, power, and primacy over others.
    [Show full text]
  • Express Entry Skilled Worker Category Application Guide LIVE HERE
    GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR Department of Advanced Education and Skills Offi ce of Immigration and Multiculturalism Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry Skilled Worker Category Application Guide LIVE HERE. WORK HERE. BELONG HERE. Newfoundland and Labrador has a diverse labour market, a skilled and educated population, is family- friendly and committed to inclusion. People from over 80 countries make Newfoundland and Labrador their home. The introduction of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry Skilled Worker Category enables skilled immigrant workers to enter the province faster than ever before. Express Entry offers the opportunity for permanent residency and provides a path to success for skilled immigrants and their families, as well as international students. Under Express Entry immigration, candidates will be fast-tracked once they receive an offer of employment from a Canadian employer, and have a Provincial Government nomination or are selected by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Newfoundland and Labrador has 550 Express Entry nominations annually available for skilled immigrants who are successful in obtaining employment in the province and who are accepted into the Federal Government Express Entry Pool. Please visit http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/home-eng.do?lang=eng for information on fi nding employment in Newfoundland and Labrador. growth through employment strength in diversity dignity by inclusion Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1 1.1 What is the Express Entry Skilled Worker Category? 1 2. How does the Express Entry Skilled Worker Category work? 2 2.1 Steps in the process 2 2.2 Who is eligible for the Express Entry Skilled Worker Category? 2 2.3 Who is not eligible for the Express Entry Skilled Worker Category? 3 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Whether Canada's Express Entry Is an Effective Immigration
    Journal of International Students ISSN: 2162-3104 Print/ ISSN: 2166-3750 Online Volume 8, Issue 2 (2018), pp. 1059-1078 © Journal of International Students http://jistudents.org/ doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1250408 Immigration Gridlock: Assessing Whether Canada’s Express Entry is an Effective Immigration System for International Students’ Transition into Permanent Residency? Chen Wang University of Ottawa, Canada ABSTRACT This research critically analyzes the introduction of the Express Entry system in Canada, requiring foreign nationals to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and wait for an invitation before being allowed to apply for permanent residence. Drawing on available empirical data, I argue that this reform jeopardized international students’ chance to become permanent residents. Despite recent modifications that intended to improve their situation, the pathways to permanent residence of international students are still restricted. Particularly, international PhD students are negatively impacted as the previously existing PhD stream under the Federal Skilled Worker Program covertly disappeared from the current regime. This research concludes with suggestions on how to further modify the current immigration system to facilitate international students’ transitions into Canada. Keywords: Express Entry, Expression of Interest (EOI), Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), international students, permanent residency In December 2013, Bill C-4, A second act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 21, 2013 and other measures, 1059 Journal of International Student received Royal Assent (Parliament of Canada, 2013). This legal reform symbolized Canada’s movement toward an Expression of Interest (EOI) system, which meant the Canadian government could take the initiative to select the highest qualified candidates.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Historic Pier 21 Contents
    Issue #87 December 2018 ISSN 1485-8460 Historic Pier 21 Steven Schwinghamer Steven Schwinghamer is a historian at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. He is also affiliated with the Gorsebrook Research Institute at Saint Mary’s University and the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia. His current projects include co-authoring a history of Pier 21. Introduction Pier 21 was the key passenger transit area of Halifax’s South End Ocean Terminals and, when it opened in the 1920s, a major and modern Canadian ocean immigration gateway.1 The construction of the broader Ocean Terminals complex was a significant civil engineering project that attracted international notice and cost millions of dollars.2 Together, Pier 21 and the Ocean Terminals retain historical significance for the immigration and military history of the country and for the commercial history of the region. Construction began at the Ocean Terminals in 1915, but the completion of the quarters for the Department of Immigration and Colonization was delayed until more than a decade later.3 The final shape of the terminal structures at Piers 20 to 23 revolved around the passenger-handling structures, specifically the top floor of one of the cargo sheds, Shed 21, and the adjoining Annex building. Shed 21 was built by the Canadian National Railway (CNR).4 The conversion of the space for use for immigration was quite thorough, from an up-to-date operating room to strong rooms and catering facilities. The interior construction was marked by processes and attitudes of the time, separating “British” immigrants from “foreigners”, and prioritizing medical ahead of civil examination.5 After Pier 21 opened in 1928, the immigration structures provided the transition space into Aerial image of Halifax’s Ocean Terminals.
    [Show full text]
  • Immigration Systems in Transition
    IDEAS ACTION RESULTS Immigration Systems in Transition LESSONS FOR U.S. IMMIGRATION REFORM FROM AUSTRALIA AND CANADA By Cristobal Ramón and Angelina Downs September 2020 DISCLAIMER The findings and conclusions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BPC, its founders, its funders, or its board of directors. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank Rachel Iacono, Sadikshya Nepal, Kate Hooper, Kareem El-Assal, and Robert Falconer for their assistance with this report. The authors would also like to thank the experts who participated in interviews for providing their insight into the issues covered in this report. 2 Table of Contents 4 INTRODUCTION 6 PART 1: THE HISTORIC TRANSITIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND CANADIAN IMMIGRATION SYSTEMS 31 PART 2: THE FACTORS THAT SUPPORTED THE RISE AND REVISION OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND CANADIAN POINTS-BASED SYSTEMS 53 PART 3: QUESTIONS FOR THE U.S. IMMIGRATION DEBATE 57 CONCLUSION 60 APPENDIX A: REPORT METHODOLOGY 64 ENDNOTES 3 Introduction Over the last two decades, part of the immigration reform debate in the United States has focused on developing proposals for selecting immigrants—especially employment-based ones—modeled on the points- based systemsA in Australia and Canada. These systems credit prospective immigrants who have specific characteristics that are found desirable, including education, specialized skill sets, employment experience, language proficiency, and age.1 These countries have used these points- based systems for several decades, with Canada adopting theirs in 1967 and Australia following suit in 1979. Although these immigration systems have evolved since their introduction and faced challenges, their success in selecting migrants in response to labor market needs has prompted similar proposals for changing the employment-based U.S.
    [Show full text]