Message to future immigrants

Canada Immigration Forum (discussion group)


 
       
Subject: Message to future immigrants
  Future immigrants,

I know one of the causes you choose Canada to immigrate is that it was easily to sponsor your parents as recent as 2 years ago.

I think you have to know that Sponsorship of your parents can take long time now.

I regret to say all of you that during this winter, after people realized that sponsorship process can take decades many Canadians who have parents abroad have started submitting sponsorship applications even if they had no intent of doing so before.

You are far behind.

[30-01-2005,19:00]
jenia
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
I thought most immigrants are trying to get a job and stave off starvation! :) Never knew they had the hideous plans of hauling a tribe to canadian shores. Well, if it gets hard, they can always abandon their PR status and move on wherever they want to. It is getting more and more difficult in other countries too... In the U.S., it family sponsorship became so slow and stretched that recently a man married his own sister in order to bring her over faster. His natural wife (who was divorced from him for official purposes) married his father and brought him too. These folks were unlucky that the fraud was discovered and all were imprisoned. They are now waiting deportation to India...
[30-01-2005,19:09]
american refuse
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
until we figure out how to give medical care and services to the aging population that already lives in Canada, my guess is that parental sponsorship will remain drastically reduced. I don´t think we have any choice. Decades is an exageration. Canada wants family class sponsorship to be 25% of total immigration. Spouses and children come first. So, that means approximately 60,000 to come in the family class. If there is 30,000 spouses and children that leaves 30,000 spots for parents. If there is 75,000 applications coming into CIC every year, we have a problem with no solution. We could join Austrailia and say simply forget it... or we can continue as we do.

Not sure what you recommend as an alternative.

[30-01-2005,19:36]
sharon
Medical system in Canada (in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
Medical system in Canada so badly organize so you can spend whole huge 2004 surplus

http://www.fin.gc.ca/purl/frt-e.html only for Hospitals, nobody will notice any differences in Medical Care.

[30-01-2005,19:51]
jenia
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
I agree with you Sharon. Policy-makers need to find a way to deal with the issue of mdeical insurance coverage for immigrants whose tax contributions to the Canadian government are limited or non-existent. One way to deal with the problem might be to restrict coverage for this individuals for a limited period of time, say the first 5 years. However, this might prove politically unfeasible as some people will complain about discrimination.

I know in my wife´s family a relative who depends 100% on the Canadian government for her medical bills. Hey, that is very expensive. I estimate she spends $200 weekly in medications. Neither her nor her husband worked in Canada. If this is very common, the system becomes unsustainable in the long term.

[30-01-2005,19:58]
Ozz
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
In Canada many people do the same what american refuse describes.
[30-01-2005,19:58]
jenia
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
does not make it right and does not solve the problem. If saying we cannot accept everyone into this country that wants to come is unfair, I guess we have to be unfair. It is not realistic to suggest/ask sponsoring families to pay part of the medical bills. Already they cry poor and ´did not know´ when the government comes after them for sponsorship responsibilities. What can we do if they do not pay? deport them?

The only choice out there is to narrow the gate.


[30-01-2005,20:21]
sharon
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
Sorry. I meant restricting coverage for NEW IMMIGRANTS. In other words, give then the following choice: You are granted PR to Canada as long as you pay for your own medical bills for the first 5 years.

The problem is that some people will cry out and use descrimination to fight the issue. As you say, the politically feasible alternative is to narrow the gate...

[30-01-2005,20:41]
Ozz
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
I cannot imagine restricting coverage for new immigrants. there would be riots in the streets and the human outcry would be deafening. Political suicide for any government that tried it. Also, it would still not solve our doctor and nursing shortage.

I cannot imagine bringing my inlaws here to live with us. Culture shock, no friends, different lifestyle, different language, we would be both out at work...it makes no sense. We would be far better off sending them money every month that would look after them very well, leaving them in a familiar environment and visiting as much as possible.

what kind of life is it to sit in a house and watch TV that you do not understand because you have no friends around you, and cook meals for whoever comes home at the end of the day - just to get free medical????



[30-01-2005,21:14]
sharon
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
Sharon,

what you just described in the last paragraph of your message is what happens to the person I know. Basically, she plans to live abroad when she is eligible for a social program that allows citizens to live abroad and still receive the payment. Imagine all that without having to pay one single dollar in tax? She is lucky!!!

It is a tough problem... I guess narrowing the gate is the second-best solution at the moment. I agree with you.

[30-01-2005,21:25]
Ozz
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
I fail to understand the drive to bring parents, siblings and a whole lota folks once a person gets in. Most older folks are better off at home, and probably benefit from a few more bucks than moving to Canada or the US. The best solution is to severely cut the immigration in order to manage the local society better. Canada being a liberal country, propositions to strip medical coverage sound too harsh and will certainly polarize the society to a degree that it can turn into a national crisis. But there is nothing wrong with seriously restricting and selectively picking (like nurses or doctors, if they are needed) the type of immigrants coming to Canada. Every country certainly needs to look after its own well being. I am all for it even if I get boot from both US and Canada! I can move to Greenland or Brazil!!!!!!!!!!!
[30-01-2005,21:27]
american refuse
(in reply to: Message to future immigrants)
Canadian´s always wants to be the nice guy. God forbid that we hurt anyone´s feelings. Our friend has been lighting her hair on fire for quite some time about the wait her parent is facing to come to Canada. She paid her fees, filled out the forms... tap, tap, tap... where is the Visa! The sense of entitlement because she pays taxes adds to her indignation. While I appreciate and respect her desire to be a honourable and dutiful daughter, Canada did not sign up for that job!

I never saw anything on the PR application where it says... come to Canada, you can bring your husband, wife, children, parents, aunts, uncles and pets - guaranteed.

At the time my grandfather immigrated (1904) you were not allowed to bring a family member that was medically or physically needy. There was no government healthcare to worry about or shortage of doctors. That is only a 50 year old problem. It was common immigration practice for many countries at that time. While I think it was outrageous policy... it none the less happened. My grandfather´s brother had a physical birth defect and was left behind with relatives because CIC would not accept him based on his medical tests. The family had a choice - come without him or all stay home. Harsh, outrageous but not uncommon for that time.

We´ve come a long way from those archaic days but perhaps we have come a little too far with our entitlement mentality.

Canada is a great place to live for a reason. Most Canadians want to keep it that way - even if it means telling Mom that she has to stay home.

[30-01-2005,22:33]
sharon