TORONTO, Oct. 20, 2011 /CNW/ - Canada's approach to immigration faces
major challenges, and requires reform if Canada is to meet the
international competition for skilled immigrants, according to a new
policy study from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Toward Improving Canada's Skilled Immigration Policy: An Evaluation
Approach, authors Charles M. Beach, Alan G. Green and Christopher Worswick assess
the strengths and weaknesses of the current point system used to screen
new arrivals. They identify the policy levers that affect the
attributes and success rates of new arrivals, and break new ground by
providing a tool to measure those impacts. Their policy recommendations
make essential reading for all who care about the tough questions of
immigration policy.
The past two and a half decades have seen a marked worsening in the
adjustment process of new immigrants, as their earnings levels have
dropped significantly relative to Canadian-born workers, say the book's
authors. The earnings gap between Canadian- and foreign-born workers
has widened, and the catch-up interval between the earnings of
immigrants and Canadian-born workers has lengthened. These results have
come at the cost of fewer human resources and skills available to the
Canadian economy, a potential threat to social cohesion, and the likely
loss of skilled immigrants who choose to return home or move on to
another country.
The authors' policy recommendations make essential reading for all who
care about the tough questions of immigration policy.
For the first chapter of the Policy Book, go to: http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/Immigration%20Book_Ch1.pdf
