Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) immigration applications are assessed on six factors.

These selection factors are designed to indicate which applicants are likely to become economically established upon immigration to Canada. Each Canada Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) immigration selection factor is allotted a maximum number of points, and applicants must attain at least 67 points in order to qualify for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa.
The selection factors may be summarized as follows:

• Education: Applicants are awarded up to 25 points.
• Language Skills: Applicants are awarded up to 24 points.
• Experience: Applicants are awarded up to 21 points.
• Age: Applicants are awarded up to 10 points.
• Arranged Employment: Applicants are awarded up to 10 points.
• Adaptability: Applicants are awarded up to 10 points.

Whatever the number of points awarded, Canadian Immigration Visa Officers always have the discretion to accept or refuse an application based on a substituted evaluation
In addition to scoring at least 67 points, successful applicants must show that they have enough money to support themselves and their dependants after arrival in Canada. Applicants and their dependants must also undergo medical examinations and security clearances as part of the Canadian immigration application process.
Federal Skilled Worker (Professional) Processing Times and Processing Fees vary from one Canadian Immigration Visa office to another.

Applicants intending to reside in Montreal or another city in the Province of Quebec are subject to the Quebec selection criteria.
For more information on the Federal Skilled Worker Program, see our Federal Skilled Workers FAQ.

Barbados Underground have written exhaustively on the issue of the Barbados immigration policy. We have stated repeatedly that we disagree with our current open door immigration policy on two fronts. 1) The small size of Barbados with limited resources and an overburdened infrastructure and 2) resources need to be allocated to study and plan our society to adapt to the shift from a predominantly black society (95%) to what is now rising multi-ethnic society. We will repeat, if we are racist for having this concern then so be it. This blog focuses is on number one.

One country which has embraced immigration to good effect is Canada. Canada is a vast country with significant natural resources which has a population growth rate that is not dissimilar to Barbados, very negligible indeed. Canada despite all of its resources have seen the need to have well thought out immigration program. Seen in the above quote there have a points system which is used to filter the type of immigrant they allow into their country. The rationale for the Canadian approach to their Skilled Worker Program is to ensure successful applicants are able to sustain themselves economically and add to the productivity of the country.

After reading the several comments to our immigration topics we get the impression that some commenters are of the view that if people are coming from the other islands searching for work, let them come. No planning is required! If a rich country like Canada sees the need to plan its immigration why would Barbados not desire to do the same? What is so difficult about such a simple suggestion to understand? Instead we hear the irrelevant and irrational responses that Barbadians went to Guyana, Panama, Trinidad and other places in the 50’s to work so now it is our time because of our current favourable position on the economic ladder. What hogwash!

Anyway we came across the following Letter to the Editor in the Guyana Stabroek newspaper yesterday and found it rather interesting for all the obvious reasons:

Fewer Guyanese will be admitted to Canada under the Skilled Workers category

Tuesday, February 26th 2008

Dear Editor,

The Canadian Government has budgeted to admit 215,475 new immigrants in the Skilled Workers category for the year 2008. This figure is for the whole world. The budgeted figure for the Port of Spain’s embassy, which controls Guyana’s immigration to Canada is 900 to 1,030 skilled workers, which in local parlance is “self sponsorship”. There is no term as “self sponsorship” in Canadian Immigration Law, as that term is only known to be used in Guyana.

The 900 to 1,030 skilled workers to be admitted in 2008 for the Port of Spain’s embassy includes Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados, Suriname and almost all the small islands. That means fewer Guyanese will be admitted as immigrants under the skilled workers category in 2008. The wait time for new immigrants has also increased by more than 50%. Guyanese will now have to wait three to four years for their applications to be completed.

Jim Karygiannis, Liberal MP for Scarborough-Agincourt, said that the “wait time” varies depending on where the immigrant is coming from, which is where he claims the discrimination lies. “Why are we not looking at people as people? The wait times should be the same, no matter where you are applying from,” Karygiannis posits. This is bad news for skilled Guyanese who wish to migrate to Canada under the skilled workers class.

Yours faithfully,

Balwant Persaud

Certified Immigration Consultant

So we ask the question, Why has the Canadian government decided to discriminate against applicants for immigrant visas to the Skilled Labour Program which originate from Trinidad and will affect islands like Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados, Suriname and almost all the small islands. What has soured the deal?