Canadian Humour re FSW

Canada Immigration Forum (discussion group)


 
       
Subject: Canadian Humour re FSW
 
April 15, 2008
Scoring points
Making the grade to immigrate to Canada no mean feat
By GREG WESTON


Stephen Harper´s government wants to change the immigration rules to attract workers with specific skills needed to fill Canadian labour shortages in certain trades and professions.

Good thing we already live here.

Otherwise, your faithful correspondent would almost certainly be corresponding from some foreign land, a miserable Immigration Canada reject forever deprived of endless winters and high taxes.

Under the proposed new rules, the government of the day would create an annual A-list of trades and professions desperately seeking workers.

The idea is that qualified candidates would be moved to the front of the otherwise first-come- first-served immigration queue, a lineup which is now something like 900,000 bodies long, and stretches from here to about 2014.

It goes without saying that under the proposed new rules, Harper and his cabinet would put media jobs at the top of the immigration A-list since what the country obviously needs most are more journalists.

Unfortunately for us, just being in the right profession at the right time is no ticket to Nirvana Nord.

The immigration department already uses a points system to determine if someone is even worthy of a place in the six-year lineup at the gate.

In an apparent attempt to manage expectations of prospective newcomers, the Immigration Canada website includes a handy "self-assessment test" to help losers like us face the ugly truth without waiting.

Attracted by snow

For the sake of the test, I am a married, 50-something foreign journalist who has never lived or worked in Canada, but sure would love to move here for the snow.

As you may have guessed, we didn´t make the grade, my combined attributes as a prospective immigrant to this wonderful country not adding up to the required 67 points out of 100.

Education: A partial degree in engineering and a wall-decoration from Harvard apparently don´t mean much to the immigration folks. Score 15/25.

Language Ability: I went overboard and declared myself having "high proficiency" in English, since I already know many of the words. That got me a perfect score of 16/24. But a basic knowledge of French earned only 2/8.

Work Experience: Any job of four years or more is good for the perfect 21/21 we got in this category, albeit there are many in government who would dispute that what we do is "work."

So far, so good -- 54 points out of a possible 70 -- and we could already smell the maple syrup. Then came the bad news.

Age: Canadians may be living and working longer, and retirement at 65 may be completely passe, but as far as the immigration department is concerned, you´re downhill to worthless after 50. Number of points given for my age: 0/10.

Arranged Employment: This is the low-risk immigration category for people who are already in Canada and employed on temporary work permits, or who have guaranteed job offers in a position for which they are licensed.

Since we were not already in the country that we are applying to enter for a job we are not already doing, we got another zip -- 0/10.

Adaptability: This is the section of the questionnaire apparently used to assess the likelihood of a newcomer becoming lonely, bored, miserable and otherwise perfectly Canadian before packing up and leaving.

According to the immigration folks, the prospects for eternal happiness in Canuckistan depend on having family already here, and on the education and background of one´s spouse.

Even with both, we still wouldn´t be allowed in the country.

What´s with the applause, eh?
------------------------------------


Well was it worth it?
Roy
www.cvimmigration.com

[16-04-2008,09:50]
[**.52.219.51]
Roy
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
Roy, I don´t think you or I would pass either!
[16-04-2008,13:10]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
Sharon

I´ll be eighteen till I die so I guess I will loose points for age as well? LOL

[16-04-2008,15:15]
[**.158.55.233]
Roy
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
Am I right that the current point system has been implemented by Liberals?
[16-04-2008,15:55]
[***.93.14.8]
Anonymous
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
Good article Roy.... that was fun to read....

I hope Canada creates a new Category called "Snow lovers" for desperate people like the author who are on the outside wanting to come in !! Its better to keep them as far as possible from the word "skilled"....

[16-04-2008,17:10]
[***.242.242.2]
Raj
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
Google Winnipeg in winter and check out the wind chill factor there in February. Then we will talk.
[16-04-2008,22:18]
[**.55.217.15]
Raj
(in reply to: Canadian Humour re FSW)
"Education: A partial degree in engineering and a wall-decoration from Harvard apparently don?t mean much to the immigration folks. Score 15/25."

Compared to, say, a PhD, yes that does not mean as much. And since every point counts, those 15 are very handy.

"Age: Canadians may be living and working longer, and retirement at 65 may be completely passe, but as far as the immigration department is concerned, you?re downhill to worthless after 50. Number of points given for my age: 0/10."

As mean as it sounds, people at the age of 30 are more valuable as workers than those who are 50 due to extra 20 years of working they have ahead. Hence, they come first.

"Adaptability: This is the section of the questionnaire apparently used to assess the likelihood of a newcomer becoming lonely, bored, miserable and otherwise perfectly Canadian before packing up and leaving.

According to the immigration folks, the prospects for eternal happiness in Canuckistan depend on having family already here, and on the education and background of one?s spouse."

Having family in Canada helps a lot with adaptation. Hence, points here. Someone who is better aapted to Canada will have better chance of being a productive member of society in Canada.


So, overall it looks like some mad rant. Like we say in Russian internet "A lot of letters. Little sence.". What does he propose? Lowering the plank, so that 5 year backlog becomes 15 year backlog? Or did he want to make a cheap jab at the current government?

[16-04-2008,23:15]
[**.149.246.114]
Nikolai
Reply to the Canadian Humour re FSW posting
Submission Code (SX13048) Copy The Code From The Left found in the brackets
Name
Email
Reply Subject
Reply Message


Canada Immigration | Forever Living Products in Canada