Canada to allow skilled immigrants without degrees
By IANSFriday, February 25, 2011
CHANDIGARH - People who do not possess university degrees or have not cleared language proficiency tests but have the skills in required trades will now find seeking immigration to Canada a little easier, an immigration consultant said Friday.
B.S. Sandhu, chairman and managing director of the World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS) group, said that as per the new proposed immigrant selection system, the newcomers whose skills are in demand in Canada will be allowed to enter the country.
“They may not have university degrees or language proficiency. The new changes would accommodate skilled workers who do not have university degrees and are not equipped with full language proficiency to qualify under the federal skilled programme.
“By this way, more potential workers would reach Canada and this is a step in the right direction,” said Sandhu, who heads one of the biggest immigration consultancies in the country.
The Canadian government has indicated the “points grid” system for immigrant selection is likely to be changed to accommodate skilled workers required in the country.
Sandhu said that Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney had recently said that last year (2010), Canada touched record figures in admitting the highest number of immigrants.
“Permanent Residency (PR) figures in Canada have touched an all-time high since the last 57 years. Immigrants to the tune of 280,600 attained Permanent Residency and this figure is the highest in the country since the last 57 years, Kenney had said.
The Canadian minister had called for more flexiblity in the immigration rules, saying that “the skilled trades people who dont have university degrees or who have very limited English or French language proficiency typically cannot make it through the points grid, but we have a huge and growing need for such skilled trades people”.
Sandhu said that the main criteria that is being considered include requiring a minimum level of language proficiency, making the programme more accessible to skilled trades people and redirecting points from work experience to other factors.
While laying emphasis on allowing younger skilled workers to immigrate, the proposed changes aim at selecting people who are most likely to succeed once they reach Canada.
