Can Immigration Affect Your Family?

Are you planning or in the process of immigrating to Canada? Or, are you immigrating to New Zealand? Well, if you’re planning to immigrate to Australia or whichever country, you should know that one of the biggest motivations for emigrating is to provide a better standard of living for you and your family. Not only will it change the lives of everyone who goes but also the family members left behind. It’s the children and elderly relatives, who generally have the least influence and control over the decision to emigrate, who are affected most by the move.

Children
The younger your children are when you emigrate the less affected they will be. They’ll easily forget the life they had before moving and as long as they have the support and close family around them that’s all they’ll have ever known. The change of routine will be confusing and stressful, but this is a short term issue that soon resolves itself.

More likely it’s the parents who’ll miss the added support of having grandparents close at hand to baby sit, join in and share some of the responsibilities, even if it’s only occasionally.

If children are older and more independent when you migrate, the more significant the affects of the move will be. They have their own social life, ideas about what they want, and want some control over what is happening. It’s natural for them to rebel against this type of decision. To them, you’re destroying their life, having no regard for their feelings. Of course, it’s probably quite the opposite. In my view, if the reasons for older kids not wanting to go are caused by short term issues, such as friends and school, these things will change even if you stay where you are within a few years. You can safely discount these.

If the reason for not wanting to go is focused around long term reasons, career, university opportunities, future life plans, your motivations for moving need to be examined more closely. Your motivations should be aligned with everyone’s long term goals.

Elderly
For elderly parents or relatives left behind, there’s also a whole range of emotions to deal with. On the one hand they’ll be supportive and understanding of your desire to improve your lives, but also will be thinking about how life will be different for them when you’re gone.

Why not sponsor your elderly parents?

Depending upon how much you’ve been a regular part of their lives, they’ll go through a grieving process when you leave. This can take a long time to come to terms with and they may never fully get over your decision. Whilst they can still speak to you and occasionally see you, there’s still a big gap in their lives.

There’s the added complications of travelling to see you, as they get older this becomes more difficult.

There comes a point when you say good bye that you may never see them again. They may worry about what will happen to them as they get older. What new arrangements do they need to make for care if you’re not there to help? Not being able to take an active part in their grandchildren growing up.

Whilst life is moving on to new and exciting pastures for you, it’s also important to appreciate the situation from their viewpoint and recognise that their feelings are important. If your children, when they are grown, decide to move back or to a new country, how will you feel about that? What will you do?

Your approach emigration, it’s extremely hard to create a happy outcome for everyone. The key to success is having clarity as a family in your reasons for emigrating. This will be the solid foundation on which to build your new life. When you’re clear about why you’re going, what the benefits are to each person and why that’s important to them, the more positive the affect of emigrating will be for everyone.

After all emigration is not the goal, it’s just a stepping stone to the life you want. Focus on the end result not the getting there.

Family Class Immigration to Canada

Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor the following family members:-Spouses,

Common-Law Partners, and Conjugal Partners aged 16 and over

-Parents and Grandparents

-A dependent child of the sponsor, including an adopted child or a child the sponsor intends to adopt

-Orphaned brothers, sisters, nieces, or grandchildren  under the age of 18 and who are not married or living in a common-law relationship

-In cases where there are no persons in the above categories, the “last remaining family member” may sometimes be sponsored but successful applications of this kind are rare.

A stated aim of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is to achieve reunification of family members. For this reason, sponsorship applications for spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners and dependent children are processed as a priority. In other cases, for instance where parents are sponsored, the family members may be allowed to stay in Canada while their applications are processed if they can demonstrate adequate funds and that they have their own medical coverage.  Where family class sponsorship is one of several options available to persons seeking to immigrate to Canada, it follows that it will often be the best choice. If a sponsorship application is processed outside Canada and is refused, an appeal may be filed with the Immigration Appeal Division

It is a good idea to seek expert advice when contemplating a sponsorship application as, even in what appear to be relatively straightforward cases such as sponsorship of a spouse, the application requires extensive and accurate documentation if it is to succeed and be processed as quickly as possible.

How Immigration Can Change America

Immigration can help our society and our economy because it can further strengthen our image as the great melting pot and increase our tax base. The current argument by many conservatives against immigration is very shortsighted, believing first that it’s even possible to send back 12 million people. Trying to send back 12 million people would cause incredible chaos and tie up our law enforcement system in an incredible mess. The auxiliary arguments that are included in this conversation, such as increased crime and drugs, the concern about making English our national language and border security are valid points but not enough to cause America to move away from their inherent principles of being a melting pot where many people and cultures from around the world may find a better life.

This issue goes to the heart of American principles and combined with the negative fallback from the war on terror, this critical issue can help raise American prestige around the world.

Sam G (Immigration Hysteria 2007) gives an excellent example of the state of American values in the Immigration plight, “Firstly the majority of the Hispanics did not come here to stay and breed with the so called citizen’s. They wanted to make a descent living and working condition nothing more. In exchange we got a cheap hard working human slave in exchange. Nobody recognizes this hard working human for what he is. If given an easy and proper channel to exit the country he will rightfully do so and go back to his loved ones back south of the border. We did not do enough to stop them at the border and did not give him a chance to leave either. Illegal Immigrants have no voice compared to the loud noise from the critics and feel like crying in the wilderness by themselves. United States is viewed as a beacon of hope in the rest of the world and we should live up to that expectation, remember with “Great power comes Great responsibility” we have the burden to be right even when are wrong. We should embrace the founding values and not be pigeon holed or scare in our own minds.”

There are those who believe something is sinister in the Immigration argument, something devilish. Most agree that better security measures must be taken but to attach terrorist leanings to the immigrants that arrive through Mexico, most believe is stretching. However, that sentiment persist.

In Townhall.com article, Immigration Ire By Rich Tucker Friday, June 15, 2007 , he expresses the feelings of those that sight the security concerns for handling Immigration strictly and harshly.

“It’s long past time to close off the border. After all, the Pew Hispanic Center estimates there are 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and that 40 percent (4.4 million) have been here less than five years. Thus they’ve arrived since Sept. 11. We have no idea who these people are, of course, or where they’re living.

What we do know is that there are a virtually limitless number of potential terrorist targets in the U.S. and that it’s impossible to protect all of them. At any time, a suicide bomber can detonate on a commuter train or in the middle of a busy store.

We’ve been protected so far by good police work – authorities have broken up dozens of terrorist plots – and by the fact that it’s difficult for our terrorist enemies to convince people to kill themselves. Simply put, self-detonation isn’t a growth industry.

But let’s suppose that a mere one-half of 1 percent of the illegal’s who’ve come here in recent years have terrorist leanings. That’s still 22,000 people. Considering it took only 20 terrorists to kill 3,000 Americans, that’s a scary number.”

There are good arguments for both sides of the immigration debate. Its seems a great twist that Bush is for the Immigration measure along with Democrats while the biggest opponents are Bush’s conservative base. The Immigration debate still has much debate before some change will be enacted but all agree that it is very necessary for the healthy future of our country to have a good immigration legislation.

Many argue we don’t need new immigration laws. We need to start enforcing the immigration laws we have. There are some consensus that most can agree with. First we should complete the border fence.
Bush signed the Secure Fences Act of 2006. We need to finish building that fence, make sure it’s patrolled and give it time to work.

Second lets identify all Illegal’s and make sure we know who they are and whether they have committed any crimes. Those that have, we can begin the process of sending them back.

Third, let’s make it easier for employers to verify the immigration status of workers, and let’s hold those employers accountable when they don’t.

Whatever we decide to do we won’t make everyone happy. Anytime your dealing with human emotion and possible separation of family you are going to cause tension. Just by inquiring and trying to identify who the illegals are will cause controversy. A clear, simple and well publicized plan must be made aware and implemented to have the best results. It is our American principles at stake and this as well as many other issues of the day should be handled with the utmost care. If we can master these principles deftly, of tightening our security, tactfully identifying and separating illegal’s and then to convincing the American public and the world that we are just, fair and safe, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish as American people and should further assist in reestablishing our image in the world.

Obama Administration to Tackle Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill and Amnesty

A comprehensive immigration reform bill and amnesty for illegal border crossers is in the news, and just like proponents are getting ready to lobby for this bill, opponents of illegal immigration are ready to fight amnesty. Will this issue continue to divide the country?

Obama Administration to Tackle Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill and Amnesty

Immigration Reform as a Campaign Promise

Barack Obama was clear on his campaign promise with respect to immigration reform: securing the borders and changing the current immigration system had to go hand in hand. What is more, his goal was to do away with the vast illegal immigration underground that keeps an entire population under the radar of governmental agencies. In this, his platform and that of then-opponent John McCain was surprisingly similar.

Support for an Immigration Bill is Questionable

Reuters reports that an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants are currently residing in the United States, and a comprehensive amnesty may place these individuals on the path to citizenship. What is more, such an immigration bill would also affect their families, and thereby greatly increase the sudden influx of immigrants.

Even within his own party, Barack Obama might have a hard time selling the immigration reform bill. CNN reports that Joe Biden has been quoted as saying that rising unemployment will make Americans who are losing jobs and homes unsympathetic to legalizing a group of (current) lawbreakers.

Special Interest Groups Confident That the Time for an Immigration Bill is now

California is at the forefront of the amnesty debate, in part because of its proximity to Mexico. Here the illegal immigration discussions inevitably involve Hispanic immigration and rarely focus on Swedes and Canadians. It is apparent that special interest groups have been laying a meticulous groundwork for the cause as early as three years ago.

The 2006 Day without an Immigrant was a national event that saw huge crowds in opposition to a crackdown on illegal immigration and in favor of amnesty. The L.A. Times reported that about 500,000 local marchers staged a peaceful walk

Obama Administration to Tackle Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill and Amnesty combining clergy, civil rights workers, immigrants, and a host of others. The slogan was “Si de Puede.”

Amnesty and the American Citizen

The problem in the immigration reform debate is not just the exposure of the business sub culture that shows employers exploiting immigrants. There is a very real understanding that — once liberated from a life in the shadows — illegal immigrants will no longer be willing to work for exploitative wages. Moreover, a 2006 Zogby poll was quoted as showing that 62% of Americans sought a tightening of immigration policies, not a loosening.

Perhaps Joe Biden hit the nail on the head when he questioned the public’s support for an immigration bill that included amnesty. Then again, perhaps the Obama Administration is aware of the current sentiment on immigration reform and rather than going after it with not holds barred, President Obama may make more of a token effort to appease special interest groups that worked hard to get him elected.

Only future developments will tell.

Factors Determining Independent Immigration to Canada

People are always looking for change for in lifestyle, surroundings, job etc. And in search of this change, we are often attracted towards moving to countries that give us greater opportunities to better our lives, money situation and increase our spending power. Countries like Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada provide ample opportunities to migrate and own citizenship of that country as well as provide you with opportunities that will give you a better lifestyle.

Canada is such a country that is open to legal immigrants and is a popular destination among those who are looking to migrate to another country from the country that they are born in. Canada is much favourable with its ample land area of 9,900,000 km2 and with a population of almost 96 million residents. The government is stable, the society is democratic and its industrial and agricultural background makes it the seventh advanced nation in the world. This gives a lot of opportunities to individuals who have immigration to Canada on their minds.

The independent Immigrant system is based on the point system, where one can check as well as needs to fulfill the required number of points to legally migrate to the country of Canada.  From 2003 the required points have been reduced from 75 to 67. And if you’re a resident of the UK your points reduce by 67 points.  The reduction of points was done to attract skilled workers to the country. The category of Independent Immigration System is one of the most popular categories that people opt for when wanting to migrate to Canada. The Government of Canada tried to implement the reduction of points in 2002 itself since, its main intention being that there were already 10,000 immigrant cases that were pending. If a person fulfills atleast 67 points they can definitely establish themselves in Canada.

There are certain factors that are point based;

1.    Education has a maximum of 25 points, if a person has obtained a PhD or a Master’s degree or even has 17 years of either a full time or its equivalent and it carries all 25 marks. The least points is 12 and is applicable if one has completed only a one year diploma, apprenticeship or trade certificate in Trade and has a minimum of 12 years or equivalent of it in study.

2.    The second factor is ones ability to fulfill the English and French Language ability and has a maximum score of 24 points if you are fluent in both the languages. One can get 16 points if they know the main official language and 8 points if they know the second language.

3.    The third factor is the working experience and one can gain a maximum of 21 points. The main qualifications are that one needs to have a minimum of 1 year of full time work experience in 10 years as a manager, skilled occupation or any other well known profession.

4.    The Age factor carries 10 points and is applicable if you’re between 21-49.

5.    Arranged employment carries 10 points e.g. if one is offered a job by the HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada).

6.    Adaptability is 10 points, where your accompanying partner e.g. spouse, in-laws etc fulfills certain levels of education, have been educated in Canada, if they have worked, have extended family or arranged employment in the country.

Factors Determining Independent Immigration to Canada

People are always looking for change for in lifestyle, surroundings, job etc. And in search of this change, we are often attracted towards moving to countries that give us greater opportunities to better our lives, money situation and increase our spending power. Countries like Australia, USA, New Zealand and Canada provide ample opportunities to migrate and own citizenship of that country as well as provide you with opportunities that will give you a better lifestyle.

Canada is such a country that is open to legal immigrants and is a popular destination among those who are looking to migrate to another country from the country that they are born in. Canada is much favourable with its ample land area of 9,900,000 km2 and with a population of almost 96 million residents. The government is stable, the society is democratic and its industrial and agricultural background makes it the seventh advanced nation in the world. This gives a lot of opportunities to individuals who have immigration to Canada on their minds.

The independent Immigrant system is based on the point system, where one can check as well as needs to fulfill the required number of points to legally migrate to the country of Canada.  From 2003 the required points have been reduced from 75 to 67. And if you’re a resident of the UK your points reduce by 67 points.  The reduction of points was done to attract skilled workers to the country. The category of Independent Immigration System is one of the most popular categories that people opt for when wanting to migrate to Canada. The Government of Canada tried to implement the reduction of points in 2002 itself since, its main intention being that there were already 10,000 immigrant cases that were pending. If a person fulfills atleast 67 points they can definitely establish themselves in Canada.

There are certain factors that are point based;

1.    Education has a maximum of 25 points, if a person has obtained a PhD or a Master’s degree or even has 17 years of either a full time or its equivalent and it carries all 25 marks. The least points is 12 and is applicable if one has completed only a one year diploma, apprenticeship or trade certificate in Trade and has a minimum of 12 years or equivalent of it in study.

2.    The second factor is ones ability to fulfill the English and French Language ability and has a maximum score of 24 points if you are fluent in both the languages. One can get 16 points if they know the main official language and 8 points if they know the second language.

3.    The third factor is the working experience and one can gain a maximum of 21 points. The main qualifications are that one needs to have a minimum of 1 year of full time work experience in 10 years as a manager, skilled occupation or any other well known profession.

4.    The Age factor carries 10 points and is applicable if you’re between 21-49.

5.    Arranged employment carries 10 points e.g. if one is offered a job by the HRDC (Human Resources Development Canada).

6.    Adaptability is 10 points, where your accompanying partner e.g. spouse, in-laws etc fulfills certain levels of education, have been educated in Canada, if they have worked, have extended family or arranged employment in the country.

Take Help of an Immigration Lawyer For Immigration to Canada

There are many people who are interested in immigrating to Canada as this is one country that offers tremendous opportunities and options to explore for new immigrants. People prefer immigration to Canada than other country as it has higher job opportunities for immigrants. In fact, the majority of people come here to work, to start a new life. Plus, this is one country where you will find relatively low degree of racism and discrimination in the society, as people living here are very open minded and they are ready to welcome people from other countries. Most of the privileges extended to Canadian citizens are enjoyed by immigrants. Immigrating to Canada permanently is an exciting opportunity.

Immigration to Canada has a lot of benefits and the Canadian Government encourages it as helps in economic growth and creates cultural diversity and understanding of different nations. After immigration to Canada one gets the right to live and work anywhere in the country. One can think for immigration to Canada along with their other family members, including children.

Immigration to Canada is lengthy process and there are lots of paper works to handle. The easiest way to apply for immigration to Canada is by contacting an immigration lawyer. In Canada, there are many good immigration lawyers who can help you out with visas, work permit, refugee claim and lots more. Immigration lawyers give immigration advice and help to visa applicants, usually for a fee. However, hiring an immigration lawyer is up to you as it is nothing like your application will be given special attention or it will be done faster.

However, there are several things you should consider before hiring an immigration lawyer.

Look for an immigration lawyer recommended by people you trust. In fact, talk to at least two to three potential advisers before selecting one.

Inquire about the training and experience the immigration lawyers have and the areas they expertise.

Hire an immigration lawyer who is a professionally certified licensed member of the ‘Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants’.

Collect information about the services they provide and their fee structure. Get this information in writing.

Avoid hiring immigration lawyers who refuses to answer your questions or are not giving satisfactory answers.

Read the written contract carefully before you sign it. The contract must have all the promised services listed properly and even the fee structure must be clearly set out.

Never leave your original documents required for immigration to Canada with the immigration lawyer.

Before signing up the application form make sure it not blank. If there are some papers or documents that you don’t understand. Keep copies of any documents that are prepared for you safely as you might need it in future.

Ask the immigration lawyer to update you on the status of your application on a regular basis.

Immigration to Canada Process is Fast and Safe

Canada is the first choice amongst people who are planning to settle down in some other country for the rest of their life. Canada is an industrialized nation booming with unlimited opportunities for immigrants. Hundreds of people every year apply for immigration to Canada as the country has got one of the highest standards of living that keeps on getting better day by day! Right from resources to job opportunities, Canada has got everything that a truly developed nation must have.

Even though Canada has a number of provinces and territories, you will need to apply to the Government of Canada only. There is no need to apply to the individual province or territory where you would like to live. Immigration applications are handled by the department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. In total Canada has 10 provinces and three territories, with almost 90% of the population living in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

All the territories and provinces are different from each other offering different benefits to the residents. Before you file your application, you need to decide beforehand in which territory or province you want to settle down. Well, this will not make any difference to your application process but it will help you in getting any idea about the place in regards to climate, food habit and other stuffs.

For experiencing a better way of managing your application for immigration to Canada, you can take the help of an immigration lawyer or consultant who has in-depth knowledge about the immigration process. For successful immigration to Canada, the very first requirement is a clear, complete and accurate application attached with all the necessary documents and papers.

This can help in quick processing and successful conclusion of the status of your application. For all this to happen you need to have access to current and all the necessary information related to Canadian immigration policies which will help you in handling the whole process with ease.

As you plan out your immigration to Canada, do remember to take the help of a qualified immigration lawyer or consultant. The immigration lawyer will provide you with the necessary tools, knowledge, and the required resources for submitting and managing Canadian immigration application faster.

In fact, the quality of services immigration lawyers in Canada offer are very reliable and helpful. They have to conform to strictly regulated standards for the levels of education and other qualifications, which indicates that the government thinks seriously about these services.

To make sure that people get quality services, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) – an independent and self-regulating body for immigration consultants was formed and members of these organization are the best one to deal with. There are also Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) who are always there to help out those who need to apply for visa for immigration to Canada.

Missing Id May Slow Down Haitian Family Class Immigration

Canadian government’s promise to process faster immigration applications from Haiti could be impossible to fulfill. The biggest obstacle is the requirement for a valid passport in order to process an immigration application. The earthquake of two weeks ago left many houses in Haiti in ruins, and it is unlikely to expect that Haitians will be able to produce their passports or any identity documents. Without a proof of name, age, and family relationships it is very hard to process a family sponsorship application. Moreover, the immigration authorities need a passport in which to issue the visa, and a passport with a  visa is the only legal means of entering Canada as an immigrant.

Some people offer an easy solution to this problem. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act the immigration minister Kenney has the power to modify the requirements for immigration to Canada. It is within his powers to relinquish the requirement for a valid passport. However, according to Minister Kenney this will pose serious problems.

The Misnister has already agreed to relinquish the requirement for passport and medical examinations for a hundred Haitian orphans, who are to be adopted in Canada this year. At this moment he is unwilling to do so for all Family Class emigrants for several reasons. The most important one of them is that lack of identity documents will make it difficult or impossible to perform a security and background check on a potential immigrant. For this purpose a name and date of birth are essential. It is the duty of Canadian immigration authorities to make sure that anybody who enters Canada does not present a health or security risk to other Canadians.

Immigration lawyers, say that they can work around the requirement for valid passports. They suggests that the immigration authorities take an oath from Canadian citizens with good civil record testifying about the prospective immigrant’s name and family relationship to the sponsor.

While the government is mulling over this problem, it is strongly advisable for Canadians who have family members in Haiti to apply for sponsorship as soon as possible. They can apply on their own or use representatives to make sure that applications are filled out correctly and all necessary documents are attached: www.canadaimmigrationlaw.net

Immigration Dept Rejoices as “Lost Canadians” Citizenship Bill is Passed

95% of the cases of “Lost Canadians” will be resolved, said Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley, thanks to Bill C-37.

People who are citizens when this law comes into force will not lose their citizenship as a result of these amendments. The new law will give citizenship to:

Those who became citizens when the first citizenship act took effect on January 1, 1947 (including people born in Canada prior to 1947 and war brides) and who then lost their citizenship;

Any person who was born in Canada or became a Canadian on or after January 1, 1947, and who then lost citizenship; and

Any person born abroad to a Canadian on or after January 1, 1947, if not already a citizen, but only if they are the first generation born abroad.

An amendment to the Citizenship Act, Bill C-37 has sorted out various quirks in 19th century legislation that affected as many as 200,000 people who lost, or never had, their citizenship.

Bill C-37 has just received Royal Assent and is in its final stage of coming into law. “Today is a very special day for Canada with the passage of this legislation,” said Immigration Minister Finley on the 16th of April.

“By introducing this legislation last year, our Government took decisive action to help those people who had their citizenship questioned, and to protect the value of Canadian citizenship for the future.”

Finally, the door has been opened to “Lost Canadians” to regain their citizenship, which they have either lost or never had in the first place due to little-known quirks in the Citizenship Act itself.

“We’re very pleased to have been the government that was able to resolve this situation finally,” Canada’s Immigration Minister told CBC News.

The bill flowed out of a series of reports from CBC News in 2007 that highlighted the fact that thousands of people were at risk of losing their citizenship because of outdated provisions in existing and former citizenship laws.

Shocking findings by the news channel’s investigation included that there may be more than 200,000 immigrants living in Canada who could lose their citizenship for various reasons. These reasons include:

Canadian-born children who have lost their citizenship because their fathers became US citizens at a later stage;

The law from 1947 to 1977 required people living outside of Canada on their 24th birthday to sign a form to keep their citizenship;

Immigrants born in a hospital south of the border were not considered citizens unless they later registered as Canadians; and

Some immigrants were stripped of their citizenship because they or their ancestors were considered illegitimate.

In May of 2005, Parliament passed a law speeding up Canadian citizenship for those in the first category, a category which has affected more than 100,000 people.

Under the law of the time, children of fathers who decided to take out citizenship in another country automatically lost their Canadian citizenship as well, even if they weren’t living with them at the time. This new law will come into effect no later than a year following Royal Assent.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada said exceptions to the law allowing lost Canadians to register are those born in Canada to a foreign diplomat, those who’ve renounced their citizenship with Canadian authorities, and those whose citizenship was revoked by the government because it was obtained by fraud.