Immigration reform: inspired by Aussies?

Fri Jun 20 13:24:49 UTC 2008

John Ivison,  National Post
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2008

Leah Hennel, Canwest News Service Files

OTTAWA -The Harper government's controversial immigration proposals
passed into law yesterday but the hard work aimed at reducing the
backlog of 925,000 applications, and streamlining Canada's migration
program, has just begun. The next step is to drag the system into the
21st century by finding out exactly who has applied to come to Canada.
Remarkably, the federal government has no idea what skills the people
in line have to offer and only the faintest inkling what skills the
country needs to satisfy current shortages. To address these
shortcomings, the government will now spend $100-million leafing
through the dusty pile of applications on hand to code them according
to occupation. In the meantime, Diane Finley, the Minister for
Citizenship and Immigration, will visit the provinces and ask them
about their job-vacancy situation.

The new legislation means bureaucrats do not need to process every new
application that lands in their in-tray, which should mean that the
backlog stops growing. Ms. Finley has talked of bringing in more
applicants, faster, and the goal is to reduce the wait time to around
a year from the current four years.

No one argues against the modernization of the immigration
bureaucracy. But the main point of contention for many immigrant
groups is fear the new policy will limit the number of family
reunification cases, resulting in a significant shift in the type of
newcomers to Canada.

There is no doubt these fears are justified -- change is coming.
Officials say privately that no decisions have been taken on how the
system is to be re-structured, but there was much chatter within the
government recently about a study by Australian immigration expert
Lesleyanne Hawthorne, which compared the Australian and Canadian
systems.

It seems the conclusion has already been reached that Canada's "human
capital model" points system is out-dated and does not supply the type
of immigrants the country needs. The current selection process awards
points on the basis of skills,

age, education, language (although there is no need for competence to
be tested), work experience and occupational demand.

However, even though the application process was tweaked by the
Liberals in 2002, many Canadian officials interviewed for the
Hawthorne study said the process admits applicants with limited
English or French language skills, "general" rather than job specific
skills and qualifications that are often not recognized. "Given that
newly arrived migrants are more than twice as likely to possess
degrees, it seems essential to redress this skills wastage," Ms.
Hawthorne concluded.

The Australians used a similar system until 1996 when, in Ms.
Hawthorne's words, the new government of John Howard shifted policy
"from altruism to pragmatism." The Australians tailored their points
system to give greater weighting to factors of skill, age and English
language ability. Successful applicants must now pass an English
language test, proving he or she has "partial command of the
language."

Additional points are awarded for those who are qualified to fill
occupations in demand, for those whose degree-level qualifications
relate to specific (rather than generic) professions, and for those
with job offers.

The gains have been tangible. A decade ago, about 60% of applicants in
both countries secured some form of work within six months of their
arrival. In Canada that rate has stagnated. In Australia, the rate is
now 83%, despite the two countries having near-identical economic
cycles. Wage outcomes there have increased dramatically, while in
Canada they have gone in the opposite direction (it now takes up to 30
years for a newcomer to reach parity with comparably qualified
Canadians).

Small wonder the Conservatives are looking Down Under for inspiration.
Officials remain tight-lipped on specific changes but a mandatory
pre-migration English or French language test would seem to be in the
offing, as well as a re-evaluation of the proportion of points awarded
for pre-migration work experience and qualifications.

"It's not rocket science to know that if you match the people you are
bringing in with the needs of the market, you will find that the
outcomes are much better," said one official.

As is so often the case in politics, the party traditionally
associated with an issue is unable to institute reform. The Liberals
tried to raise the number of points required for entry to 75 from 70
back in 2002 but were forced to retreat, under pressure from their
immigrant constituency, eventually capitulating and reducing the
number required to 67.

The Conservatives inherited a situation in which the wait time would
have increased to a decade within five years. They have taken the
initial steps toward reducing the backlog and should now continue at
speed down the road the Australians have already proven leads to a
sleeker and more competitive immigration system.

jivison at nationalpost.com

http://www.nationalpost.com/story-printer.html?id=597231

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