Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - December 2008
The Canadian Government has announced that temporary work permits for residents of the United States and Mexico will now be available for a period of three years, rather than the previous maximum of one year.
The move will affect approximately 5,100 skilled professionals who travel to Canada from the U.S. and Mexico each year to work in various fields such as engineering and accounting.
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kinney says that the extended permits will make Canadian companies more competitive. It will also allow the skilled professionals who begin projects to remain in Canada and see them into completion.
�We are trying to get all the skilled people we can to Canada quickly,� said Kinney. �The last thing we want is to strangle a Canadian company that�s ready to grow because of shortage of labour.�
Kinney added that despite the recent global economic downturn, Canadian employers continue to look abroad to solve their labour shortages.
Similar policies are being passed in both the U.S. and Mexico to extend working permits for Canadian citizens to three years.
Source: Canwest News Service
