Affirming a policy that identifies immigration as a key component to national development and anticipating a sustained economic recovery, Canada recently unveiled its 2010 Immigration Plan.

Maintaining the same level it set in 2009, the plan targets between 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents in 2010.  In setting this target, Canada did not follow the lead of other immigrant-receiving countries which lowered their immigrant intake levels.

This information was relayed by Bayani F. Abesamis, a Canadian immigration lawyer. “By maintaining its target, Canada is showing faith in the anticipated economic upturn and of the ability of immigrants to help usher in and sustain such a recovery.”

A key feature of the 2010 Immigration Plan is the increase in the number of immigrants under the various Provincial Nominee Programs. This is designed to ensure that the benefits of immigration are evenly distributed across Canada’s provinces and territories. It is also geared towards making the process of selecting immigrants as responsive to a particular province’s manpower needs as possible, since it will be the individual province which will identify, or “nominate”, the immigrants who will fill labour shortages or needs specific to such province.

 The Philippines is the third largest source country for immigrants to Canada, and Filipinos make up the largest group enjoying the various Provincial Nominee Programs. “Filipinos, with their keen sense of adaptability, excellent education credentials and proficiency in English, are the ideal immigrants to Canada,” states Abesamis.

Abesamis will be holding a series of free seminars in his Philippine office in Pasig City on the different Canadian immigration streams, including the federal skilled worker class and the various Provincial Nominee Programs.

Those who wish to attend these free seminars, may send an e-mail with an attached resumé, to seminars@abelaw.ca.