About Canadian Immigration

People are constantly in a state of movement. They move from apartment to apartment, house to house, or even from state to state. Many people also choose to uproot themselves from their home and move to a different country. There are many reasons for this, but regardless of why people move around, the fact is that immigration has been around as long as man has. Canada has seen immigration for thousands of years now, and since 1947 major law changes have taken place to reshape the way the country handles and processes new immigrants.

History

Over the course of Canadian history there have been waves of immigration into the country. The first began with its colonization, when mainly French immigrants settled in Quebec and Acadia. Smaller numbers of Americans and British came as well, and the first wave finished with British immigrants fleeing America during the American Revolution. The second major wave involved Irish emigrants fleeing the potato famine and British troops fleeing from the War of 1812. Before 1885, Canada did not have many restrictions on immigration, but this changed when a large wave of Chinese people came into the country as railroad workers. At this time, the government created the Chinese Head Tax. The next major changes in Canadian Immigration law came after 1947, with the Immigration Act of 1976, and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, granting them more rights, in 2002.

Types

There are three basic types of immigrants or categories of immigration that are recognized by the government of Canada. The first are those immigrants who have come to be with their family. The government of Canada supports family reunification and will easily allow entrance to the country based on familial ties. Economically, there are immigrants who offer a high aptitude of skill in a certain area and can provide support for the country. The third type of immigration into the country involves refugees, which Canada will allow based on their particular reasons for coming into the country.

Geography

Canadian immigrants come from all over the world. In recent years, much of the immigrants have come from the People's Republic of China, India, the Philippines, Pakistan and the United States. Most of these immigrants choose to live in Canada's larger cities, such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. This is because many of the immigrants are attracted to the need of specific services that they can offer. Other countries contributing immigrants to Canada are Iran, Columbia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Features

Canadian immigration focuses mainly on those people that will be allowed into the country, rather than on who should be kept out, which is the case for many other countries. The latest body of law in relation to immigration is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which came into fruition in 2002. This still allows immigrants based on their skills, family or refugee status, but broadens the discretion taken in allowing the immigrants into the country from the past law, the Immigration Act of 1976.

Considerations

For the most part, Canada has a good hold on their immigrants and immigration into the country. However, like every country, there are cases of illegal immigrants living in Canada. According to estimates, there are between 35,000 and 120,000 illegal immigrants living in Canada today, most of whom have ignored deportation orders. The Canadian government states that there are tens of thousands of warrants out for the arrest of illegal immigrants, though enforcement of these warrants may not be considered strict.

Resources

• Citizenship and Immigration in Canada