Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes part in a toast with Premier Wen Jiabao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Thursday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

A decision by China to bestow approved destination status on Canada will open the gates for tourists from that country, pumping millions of dollars into Canada's tourism industry, experts say.

The decision was announced in a joint communiqué, issued by Chinese and Canadian officials on Thursday, during Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first trip to China.

“Approved destination status marks a significant moment in the history of our relations with China, indicating not only our mutual commitment to strengthening our diplomatic and commercial partnerships, but also our people-to-people ties,” said Harper in statement released by his office on Thursday.

Business professor Allen Zhu said he was surprised by the announcement, given the poor state of Canada's relationship with China under Harper.

'The estimation was more than $100 million every year in tourism revenue.'—Business professor Allen Zhu

But Zhu said it will make it much easier for Chinese travellers to visit Canada on tourist visas, not just as students, or for business reasons.

The decision will also allow Canada to advertise as a tourist destination in China, said the professor, who teaches at Capilano University in North Vancouver.

"If you have [approved destination status] you are allowed to do marketing and promotion all over China. This is a huge challenge for us, but it also brings a lot of profit for our business, and especially for Vancouver," said Zhu.

In the short term, Zhu said the new status means Chinese tourists will likely come to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics in February, but in the long term, Zhu estimates a huge spike in tourism all over the country.

"I think the estimation was more than $100 million every year in tourism revenue," he said.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell welcomed the news, saying it was something his government had been working towards for a long time.

"It should mean real economic opportunity for our tourism industry in British Columbia. It will be a real boost at a time when we come out of the 2010 Olympics," said Campbell, who heard the news while in Toronto.

Chilly relations thawing

Zhu said he first started working on getting Canada approved destination status while living in Beijing 12 years ago.

But he and his colleagues were convinced the policy would not change during Harper's current trip to China because Canada's relations with China have soured over recent years.

On Thursday in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reminded Harper that a Canadian prime minister had not visited in five years — a duration he called "too long."

Chinese newspapers have also adopted a mixed tone toward Harper's visit, with one touting Harper's arrival as a sign that ties between the two countries may "thaw," while another article described Harper's visit as "late" but "still welcome."

Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has called on Canada to deport accused smuggler and billionaire Lai Changxing, who has taken refuge in Vancouver for the last nine years after fleeing China.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, nearly 160,000 Chinese travellers visited Canada last year. Chinese visitors had the highest average length of stay in Canada — 28 nights — and spent more than visitors from any other country, nearly $1,650 each.

According to a Conference Board of Canada survey, approved destination status is expected to boost the yearly rate of travel to Canada from China by up to 50 per cent by 2015.

Vancouver, April 21, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced changes to work permits for international students who graduate from eligible programs at certain Canadian post-secondary institutions, making it easier to attract foreign students to Canada.

Effective immediately, and for the first time, these international students would be able to obtain an open work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, with no restrictions on the type of employment and no requirement for a job offer. In addition, the duration of the work permit has been extended to three years across the country. Previously, the program only allowed international students to work for one or two years, depending on location.

“The Government of Canada wants more foreign students to choose Canada and we want to help them succeed,” said Minister Finley. “Open and longer work permits provide international students with more opportunities for Canadian work experience and skills development. This will, in turn, help make Canada a destination of choice, and help us keep international students already studying in Canada.”

The increased flexibility offered by the expanded program will benefit graduates and employers alike as the program will help international students get important work experience while responding to Canada’s labour market needs. Canada will benefit in the long run as the professional experience gained will help graduates meet the requirements to stay permanently in Canada.

“As we move toward the implementation of the Canadian Experience Class, these changes will help create a pool of individuals who, with work experience, will find it easier to apply to immigrate to Canada,” added Minister Finley. “Our ability to retain international graduates with Canadian qualifications, work experience and familiarity with Canadian society, will help increase our competitiveness and benefit Canada as a whole.”

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows students who have graduated from an eligible program at a post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Preliminary 2007 data indicate that 63,673 international students came to Canada that year, representing a 4.6 percent increase over the previous year.

Ottawa, October 30, 2009 - Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, tabled Citizenship and Immigration Canada's 2009 Annual Report today in Parliament.

"While other countries have cut back immigration levels as a short-term response to the global economic downturn, our government is actually maintaining its immigration levels to meet the country's medium- to long-term economic needs," said Minister Kenney.

"Canada plans to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2010, the same number of immigrants as in recent years. In 2010, Canada will again welcome more new permanent residents than the average annual intake during the 1990s," said Minister Kenney. "The focus of the 2010 plan is on economic immigration to support Canada's economy during and beyond the current economic recovery."

In particular, the admission ranges for immigrants nominated by the provinces and territories have been increased. Provinces and territories are in the best position to understand how Canada's immigration intake can be aligned to their labour market needs. Second, by increasing the admission ranges in the Provincial Nominee Program, the Government of Canada is helping to ensure that the benefits of immigration are distributed across this country. Canada and the provinces will work together to manage growth in the provincial nominee program. Increasing the total number of immigrants processed under the economic category will also allow CIC to continue reducing the backlog of federal skilled worker applicants as part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration. 

Although the Action Plan has been in place for less than a year, early indications are that it is paying off. "People applying now under the federal skilled worker program can expect to receive a decision within six to twelve months, compared to up to six years under the old system," said Minister Kenney. "We've also brought the backlog of federal skilled worker applicants down from over 630,000 to 425,000-a reduction of more than 30%."

The backlog consists of people who applied before February 27, 2008, the date the Action Plan took effect.  Since then, almost 240,000 people have applied to the new federal skilled worker program under the Action Plan. But even with those additional applicants, the total number of people currently awaiting a decision on their application is still 12% lower than when the Action Plan took effect.

"Before we changed the system, we had to process every application received. Since many more people applied every year than could be accepted, a backlog was created," said Minister Kenney. "Now that we are processing only those applications that meet specified criteria, our Government is making significant progress in reducing the backlog." 

Improving the federal skilled worker program is part of the Government of Canada's overall commitment to modernizing the immigration system to maximize its contribution to our overall economic growth.

When I came to Canada, I expected a lot of things. Making friends from other countries, experiencing other cultures, improving my English, and so on. Working at a Canadian company with local people was one of my dreams. I wanted to find a job that is related to my major and interests. I wanted to find the place to work where I can use my abilities and knowledge while learning English and building up good work experience. However, it seemed impossible to find a company who would accept me as an Intern. Now, I am working at the sales department at ZE Power Group. This company is big and growing bigger rapidly. ZE has more than 70 employees at the moment. How did I get this great opportunity? It's all because of Hello Canada Immigration's help. Hello Canada Immigration gave me a chance to have an interview with this company. Hello Canada Immigration also gave me practice interview sessions, which helped me so much to be ready for the real Interview. It was what I was looking for. Even though I am just an intern student, everyone at ZE treated me equally to other employees. I became involved in interesting projects at ZE. I am definitely learning both English and good working skills. I am very happy and satisfied with my life now. Thank you for everything Hello Canada Immigration, especially Liann and Robert Pryer. I really appreciate all of your help!

Ki-Tae Park
Intern at ZE Power Group
2009

Businesspersons and their families can immigrate to Canada under the business class, which includes investors, entrepreneurs, and self-employed persons.  Applying for permanent residence in Canada as a business immigrant is ideal for those who have relevant business experience, but not necessarily the English-language skills required of skilled worker immigrants. 

Immigrating to Canada as an Investor

This category is suited to the immigrants who do not want to have a hands-on or management relationship with the investment.

The investor is required to make a prescribed investment of CDN $400,000.00, payable to the Receiver General of Canada.   Participating Provinces then invest the money in projects designed to create jobs and grow the economy.   Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will return the $400,000 investment in approximately 5 years without interest.

Other requirements for an investor are: (a) business experience in managing a "qualifying business" (other than a business solely deriving investment income such as interest, dividends or capital gains); (b) a legally obtained net worth (including the spouse's assets) of at least $800,000.00; and (c) indication in writing that he or she wishes to make an investment.  Business experience for an investor means either (a) management of a "qualifying business" and the control of a percentage of equity of the business for at least two years in the past five years, or (b) management of at least five full-time jobs per year in a business for at least two years in the past five years.  A "qualifying business" means a business that has two of the following factors: (i) employment of 2 or more employees; (ii) the percentage of equity multiplied by the total annual sales is equal or greater than $500,000.00; (iii) the percentage of equity multiplied by the net income in the year is equal to or greater than $50,000.00; and (iv) the percentage of equity multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than $125,000.00. 

By percentage of equity, we mean that for example, if you own 50% of the shares in the business then, the company would have to have annual sales of $1 million for you to satisfy the requirement that, for your percentage of equity, the company has sales of $500,000.00.

If the investor satisfies the above criteria, the investor then has to obtain at least 35 assessment points. Points for business experience range from 20 points (two years) to 35 points (five years).  If the investor is from the age of 21 to 40, he or she will obtain 10 points.  For every year the investor is above or below that age, he or she will lose 2 points from the 10 points.  Points for education range from 5 points (high school) to 25 points (masters or PhD).  The investor can get up to 16 points if they have high English or French proficiency; if they can speak both languages, they can obtain up to 24 points.  If the investor has made a business exploration trip deemed by the province within five years preceding the application or has participated in a joint federal-provincial business initiative, the investor will obtain an additional 6 points for adaptability. 

Finally, the government allows you to finance your investment though Canadian banks that are members of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CIDC). 

Immigrating to Canada as an Entrepreneur

An entrepreneur only has to show a net worth of $300,000.00, but he or she must have business experience, which is management of a "qualifying business" for 2 of 5 years before the date of application.  The entrepreneur must have the intention and ability to control at least 33 1/3 % of a "qualifying Canadian business" in which the entrepreneur provides active and ongoing management and this business creates at least one full time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.    The conditions must subsist for a period of 1 year within the period of 3 years from the time the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident.

A "qualifying Canadian business" means a business operated in Canada by an entrepreneur - other than a business primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income - for which there is in any one year within the period of the first three years documentary evidence of any two of the following: a) percentage of equity multiplied by number of full-time job equivalents is equal or greater than two full-time job equivalents; b) the percentage of equity multiplied by the total annual sales is equal to or greater than $250,000; c) the percentage of equity multiplied by the net income in the year is equal to or greater than $25,000; and d) the percentage of equity multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year is equal to or greater than $125,000. 

An entrepreneur who becomes a permanent resident must provide evidence that the entrepreneur has complied with the conditions within three years.  The entrepreneur must also obtain 35 points, which are assessed like points for an investor, as described above.

Immigrating to Canada as a Self-Employed Person

A self-employed person is someone who has relevant experience in cultural activities, athletics, or farm management.  Self-employed persons must have the intention and ability to be self-employed and make a significant contribution to cultural activities or athletics, or buy and manage a farm in Canada. 

A self-employed person must obtain 35 points.  Points for adaptability are assessed differently from investors and entrepreneurs.  Self-employed persons will gain up to six points for adaptability.  The self-employed person can obtain 3 to 5 points for the accompanying spouse's level of education.  Five points will be awarded if the self-employed person or the spouse has completed two years of full-time post-secondary study or one year of full-time work experience in Canada or has a family member in Canada. 

 

If you have any questions about immigrating to Canada, please contact Robert Pryer at 604-681-2500 or staff@spechtandpryer.com.