Immigration is vital for Canada, but structural changes are necessary (in English here, in French here, and in Spanish here), June 8, 2024
“Since the 1980s, we know of immigrants whose education and experience are not recognized….. [However,] Canada continues to experience a dire need of people… There needs to be structural changes in the Canadian immigration system to ensure that those arriving in the country have every chance of effective integration into society…. [Unfortunately,] current structures make it very complicated for immigrants to integrate, and this is a paradox. We need people to help to increase production, but we don’t have the means. We saw this with the housing crisis: we need migrants who know about construction, but we have nowhere to house them.”
Interviewed by Radio-Canada International.
The unfairness of Canada’s Latin American humanitarian program (in English here, in French here, and in Spanish here), January 26, 2024
I wrote a critical Op-Ed regarding the program for displaced Haitians, Venezuelans and Colombians that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) developed. The program created numerous inequities that must be corrected to prevent abuse and help those in need.
Read the full article in Policy Options here.
Canada reintroduces visa requirements for Mexican tourists: what re the new requirements? (in Spanish here, in English here, in French here), February 29, 2024
The re-imposition of visas for Mexicans [in Canada] is a response to pressure from Washington, as well as from within Canada, articularly from the province of Quebec. The U.S. has continually argued that the border with Canada is a porous border, where there is no infrastructure as in their southern border. And they argue that it is an easy access point to the country […] That pressure came at a time when Canadians have expressed concern about the increase in demand for housing, the effects of rising costs of living and inflation.
Interviewed by BBC News Mundo.
Canada’s housing crisis: multiple causes, not just immigration / Crise du logement au Canada : des causes multiples, pas juste l’immigration (in Spanish here, in French here, and in English here), January 23, 2024
“Is immigration responsible for Canada’s housing crisis? A negative discourse on immigration increases when major economic crises affect ordinary people, especially when unemployment, inflation and expenses rise.”
Interviewed by Radio-Canada International.
“They arrest you, but help you carry your bags”: How Canada welcomes refugees and how it differs from the U.S. (in Spanish here, in English here, and in French here), April 18, 2023
“There is a lot of delay in the evaluation of refugee case decisions, which means that people who managed to apply for refugee status will probably have to wait two or three years to find out if they are going to be accepted as a protected person or not.”
Interviewed by BBC News Mundo.
“There are no people, the cold is unbearable, and they give money away.” 3 myths about Canada as an immigration destination (in Spanish here, here and here, in English here, in French here, and in Portuguese), December 6, 2022
“Canada has been supporting [immigrant] integration through third parties since the 1990s. It selects agencies that promote integration and settlement services in provinces and communities. [However, t]he budget has to be requested and renewed continuously by these agencies.” “No hay gente, el frío es insoportable y regalan dinero”: 3 mitos sobre Canadá como destino migratorio
Interviewed by BBC News Mundo
What does the demanding (immigration) points program that thousands of Latinos want to use to live and work in Canada consist of? (in Spanish here, in English here, and in French here), June 23, 2022
“On the one hand, the system, in theory, privileges knowledge and rewards its possession by offering permanent residency to the holder, but at the same time, once the border is crossed, it becomes a punitive system regarding those professions because the system neither recognizes the international experience nor the education that those immigrants obtained abroad. It forces them to enter its own system of classification and discrimination.”
Interviewed by BBC News Mundo
Inmigrantes en Canadá: ¿quiénes están viniendo de Latinoamérica? (in English here, in Spanish here and in French here), November 8, 2022
“Mexicans rank first in terms of the size of the migrant [Latin American] community in [Canada], a position that was occupied by Colombians for some time, but at the moment the largest Latino community in the country is once again Mexicans... However, it is Brazilians who have arrived the most in Canada in the last five years, according to official data.”
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