Dear Editor,

The Canadian Government has budgeted to admit 215,475 new immigrants in the Skilled Workers category for the year 2008. This figure is for the whole world.

The budgeted figure for the Port of Spain’s embassy, which controls Guyana’s immigration to Canada is 900 to 1,030 skilled workers, which in local parlance is “self sponsorship”. There is no term as “self sponsorship” in Canadian Immigration Law, as that term is only known to be used in Guyana.

The 900 to 1,030 skilled workers to be admitted in 2008 for the Port of Spain’s embassy includes Trinidad, Guyana, Barbados, Suriname and almost all the small islands. That means fewer Guyanese will be admitted as immigrants under the skilled workers category in 2008.

The wait time for new immigrants has also increased by more than 50%. Guyanese will now have to wait three to four years for their applications to be completed.

Jim Karygiannis, Liberal MP for Scarborough-Agincourt, said that the “wait time” varies depending on where the immigrant is coming from, which is where he claims the discrimination lies.

“Why are we not looking at people as people? The wait times should be the same, no matter where you are applying from,” Karygiannis posits.

This is bad news for skilled Guyanese who wish to migrate to Canada under the skilled workers class.

Yours faithfully,

Balwant Persaud

Certified Immigration Consultant