Friday, September 17, 2010

Pinoys top Canadian immigrants

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos are the largest ethnic group migrating to Canada, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said on Friday.

He said there are now at least 500,000 Filipinos who have found permanent residency in the North American country.

Around 250,000 others, meanwhile, have secured temporary residency, according to Kenney, who is in the Philippines for an official visit.

At least 30,000 Filipinos acquired permanent residency in Canada in 2009, and the same number of applicants is expected to be approved this year, he said.

He said Filipinos enjoy a good reputation as a hard-working people.

"They show real compassion and real heart,” he said.

He expects between 250,000 to 265,000 people from various nationalities to become Canadian permanent residents this year.

He denied reports that his country has started limiting the number of foreign immigrants.

"We are not reducing, it’s just that there are more people applying than we can handle,” he explained. “We are just limiting the number of applications and managing new applicants but we have the same number of residents coming in."

Work opportunities are abundant in the country, according to the Canadian official.

Aside from a point system used in the immigration process, people can file applications for in-demand jobs.

Qualified applicants can be hired to work in Canada within 8 months, he said.

Migrant workers can also try and secure provincial nominations.

Kenney added that Canadian authorities want to fast-track the review and approval of immigration applications

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