ACCORDING to a Globe and Mail newspaper report, Ottawa plans to unveil sweeping changes in immigration, starting early this week, with an increase in the annual intake of new Canadians, and a promise to increase much-needed temporary workers and tackle the enormous backlog of 700,000 prospective immigrants.

And Trinidadians are expected to benefit tremendously from the new arrangements.

Immigration Minister, Joe Volpe, who is expected to table his annual report early this week in Parliament, said Canada hopes to be taking as many as 300,000 immigrants a year within five years.

The minister said: “We have to start thinking about the Immigration Department as a recruiting vehicle for Canada’s demographic and labour market needs … we are the lungs of the country.

“We are producing more jobs than the labour market has workers for … we’re desperate for immigration.”

Volpe is also in favour of introducing a limited amnesty plan granting legal status to the thousands of workers who toil in the black market economy, particularly, in the Ontario construction section, but went on to say that the initiative is complicated because a number of agencies must sign on.

The minister further stated that he “totally supports a plan to regularise the status of undocumented workers in Canada, if they pass security and background checks”.

This is good news for about 200,000 undocumented workers who live in Canada, who came here as visitors and who have overstayed their privileges; others are failed refugee claimants awaiting removal from Canada.

Most of these people are employed in the construction, textile, manufacturing and general labour force in Ontario.

A large number of Trinidadians stand to benefit from this proposal if implemented.

“A number of them have Canadian-born children, and the best interest for these children are for them to remain in Canada with their parents as it will be unfair to displace them from the land of their birth,” said Sukhram Ramkissoon, an Immigration Specialist.

“Most of them have adjusted well to the new surroundings and have worked themselves into the social and cultural fabric of Canada, which has now become their homes.

“And a number of them have Canadian-born children -- believe me, some have their own homes with skilled professions and permanent jobs.

“Some may argue that because of the uneven development of the various countries of the world, we continue to have an influx of persons from less developed countries.

“Without doubt, many of these persons would prefer to live in their countries of origin but because of the economic conditions, political turmoil, and educational opportunities are forced to migrate to countries such as Canada.

“In many cases, potential immigrants to Canada are lured here by persons who hold themselves out to be experts in immigration matters, marketing Canada abroad as a Land of Milk and Honey and offering easy access to landed status.

“Once here, many of these visitors are forced to go underground with relatives and friends sometimes offering as much ‘air cover’ as possible.”

Ramkissoon added: “Most of these undocumented immigrants take the most despised, least paying jobs and to put it bluntly, are thoroughly exploited.

“I have encountered cases where domestic workers were raped by their employers but were so defenseless, they were afraid to go to the police, fearing deportation.

“Most of these would-be citizens have humble beginnings irrespective of the nature of occupation they used to hold in their native countries.

“Through sweat and ambition, they have made impressive achievements in various fields, despite great handicaps.

“They learn to be self-sustaining and independent, despite the odds.

“Their fervent hope is that one day they will have their status regularised and thereafter pursue their goals without hindrance.

“I heartily commend the minister for ‘totally supporting’ a plan to regularise the status of undocumented workers, of course, subject to them passing security and background checks.

“Workers who have now made Canada their home, and have settled here should be granted permanent status.

“Otherwise, they will continue to languish in a limbo of uncertainty or we will be faced with a chaotic and inhumane situation of mass deportations.

“Such an action will alleviate the huge backlog of cases in the system, whereby applicants have to wait three years before a decision is made on their inland applications.

“Furthermore, it will ease the strain of understaffed and overworked officers whose services could be utilised in other fields such as hunting down and deporting undesirables.”