In Hong Kong, the Minister discussed Canada’s intention for the Economic Action Plan 2014. This plan will replace the Immigrant Investor Program with new pilot programs. Continuing his visit in Shanghai, he discussed with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce issues relating to international education as China remains one of the top source countries for students coming to Canada.

During both visits, the Minister further highlighted the many pathways available for aspiring permanent residents by reiterating the active recruitment model known as the “Expression of Interest” (EOI) system. He explained that this system will allow faster visa processing for newcomers who hold the skills and attributes that Canadian employers require for job positions that Canadians cannot fill.

Minister Chris Alexander also implemented the use of social media as he hosted a chat with Chinese citizens with a site that closely resembles twitter, called Weibo, to highlight the variety of pathways for those who want to immigrate to Canada.

To conclude the visit, the Minster was quoted saying,

“Canada is a welcoming place for Chinese visitors and students, and our permanent economic immigration programs offer many options for those looking to make Canada their home. This trip provided our government with the opportunity to highlight the various opportunities that exist within Canada and reinforce the strong ties between our two countries.”

The post Minister Chris Alexander concludes trip to China first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

On the itinerary is a speaking engagement at Fudan University, and then on to Shanghai University of International Business and the Shanghai Redlead Women’s Hospital, both of which have joint programs with British Columbia’s Douglas College.  With China as the top source country for international students for the past 5 years consecutively, the focus will certainly be on education and Canada’s reputation for high quality universities and colleges.

The strong personal ties between China and Canada are evident. China was also the top source country for new Permanent Resident admissions, with 34,000 in 2013. Over 270,000 visitor visas to Canada were issued to Chinese travellers in 2013, a nod to both tourism and family ties with Chinese-Canadians.

The Minister was quoted as saying:

 “With the exciting—and indeed transformational—changes we are making to Canada’s immigration system, our government wants to ensure that Chinese applicants are aware of the many opportunities that exist for them in Canada, now and in the future.” – Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister

This may go some way to smooth relations with the many wealthy Chinese who recently met in Beijing to air their grievances over the way visa applications to the Immigrant Investor Program were left unprocessed for years.

Sources

The post Minister Chris Alexander travels to China! first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

To read more about Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s decision to eliminate the Federal Immigrant Investor Program, and the Federal Entrepreneur Program please see our previous blog.

Sources

The post Judicial Review for Chinese Millionaire Investors! first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.