Hello everyone! 

A few things: 

(1) Phone Zap before May 6th to expand the program: https://migrantrights.ca/callforstatus/ [PLEASE SHARE]

(2) We will be pushing it out on social media, until May 6th as a campaign as discussed, the first posts are here - [PLEASE SHARE] Twitter: https://twitter.com/MigrantRightsCA/status/1387059238023933954
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MigrantRightsCA/posts/1421853678148492
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/COLIAitotqQ/?igshid=jx8wheheo4cy

(3) May 9th is online now on facebook and our website: www.MigrantRights.ca/May9. [Please share links of your event so we can update]

(4) Our plan is to launch a report next Tuesday with a press conference. We need two things from organizations:
(a) Please share this link with migrants so we can get more data we can report on: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NewPRApr2021 
(b) Please connect us to migrant spokespeople in your organization available to be on Zoom on Tuesday morning that can speak about how they have been excluded. We need these connections ASAP so we can profile them for our social media campaign too. 

Please visit :  https://migrantrights.ca/​

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​COVID-19 doesn’t pick or choose, but laws and policies do. As a result, it’s Indigenous, Black and Brown communities, poor people, women, the elderly, and migrants that are worse impacted. 
Everyone deserves rights, dignity and protection. But the federal government has announced a new permanent residency program for essential workers that excludes most migrants. Families will remain separated, and the threat of deportations and being ripped out of communities we have built here remains hanging on all of us without permanent resident status. 
This program was created because migrants organized, and allies joined us. We must push harder.
On May 9th, Mother’s Day, join an action near you or organize your own, or take action on social media.
WHEREVER YOU ARE, YOUR ACTIONS WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
RIGHT NOW!

• Make a call to PM Trudeau: Tell him to ensure full and permanent immigration status for all without exception: www.MigrantRights.ca/CallforStatus 

ONLINE ON MAY 9

• Before or on Mother’s Day 2021, May 9th, take a photo with your family and post a message to Justin Trudeau: Unite All Families! Status for All!
• Tag and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

IN YOUR CITY

• Actions will be announced shortly in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver, and details will be updated here. Check back here often. 
• Organize a COVID-19 safe rally, picket, march, postering or banner drop in your community. Check out what other cities did for previous days of action, and then get in touch with us at [email protected] for more resources.

IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

• PUT UP POSTERS: Download these beautiful posters and put them up in your window!
• DISTRIBUTE FLYERS: Give them to your neighbours!

Full and Permanent Immigration Status for All Residents Is Essential to Building an Equal Society Post COVID19 
Canada, April 20, 2021 

The 2021 federal budget continues Canada’s trajectory of temporary migration, where the majority of new arrivals each year are on temporary study, work or refugee permits without equal rights or services. $168.3 million dollars has been allocated to paying for the management and the fallout of temporary immigration streams, and almost a billion dollars for border enforcement rather than ensuring full and permanent immigration status for all. The federal budget’s announcement of a childcare program does not ensure permanent resident status on arrival for the tens of thousands of low-waged, racialized migrant women who take care of children. There is no recovery without full equality and that requires full and permanent immigration status for all.  

The Trudeau government’s budget  announced the following on Immigration: 

• Budget 2021 acknowledges that migrants were responsible for 75% of Canada’s net GDP growth in 2019, but does not ensure equal rights for migrants. 
• The Budget re-commits the federal government to recently announced time-limited and exclusionary pathways to permanent residence. 
  • This program excludes undocumented migrants, refugees, students in programs less than 2 years long, those that are currently unemployed, those without valid work authorization, those that cannot pass language exams, and those in many essential industries. There are only 90,000 spots for hundreds of thousands of potential applicants who are scrambling  to get their applications in order, and pass language tests during the third wave.  
• Budget 2021 announces that the Government of Canada intends to propose amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to provide the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada with even more authority to determine who becomes a permanent resident. 
  • Over the last decade, incredible power has been centralized in the Minister’s hands resulting in the proliferation of so-called Pilot Programs, creating more and more temporary immigration streams and “pathways” to permanent residency that few people can access. It is time to overhaul the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to ensure permanent resident status for all migrants, including on arrival. 
• Budget 2021 proposes to provide $656.1 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, and $123.8 million ongoing, to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to modernize the borders.
  • These funds will likely result in increased immigration enforcement, more integration with US Border control but will not ensure oversight of CBSA. Border enforcement will not fight COVID nor heal any wounds of the pandemic – border enforcement only deepens them.
• Budget 2021 proposes to provide $57.6 million in 2021-22 to extend the Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program to help employers offset costs associated with temporary foreign workers fulfilling isolation requirements upon entering Canada.
  • Since the beginning of the pandemic increased subsidies for employers have failed to improve quarantine conditions for migrant workers. Migrant farmworkers report lack of sufficient or appropriate food, illegal deductions from pay, and restrictions on mobility far greater than public health requirements. Migrants need permanent resident status to access and enforce rights. 
• $54.9 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to increase inspections
  • ESDC’s inspection program does not give migrant workers the ability to assert their rights. By law, ESDC cannot even share the fact or results of an inspection with the workers whose complaints triggered those inspections in the first place, much less ensure that they are compensated in instances of abuse. Only six employers have been found ineligible through these inspections since the start of COVID-19, despite the wave of massive COVID outbreaks, migrant worker deaths, and worker complaints that occured in the first and second waves of the pandemic.
• $6.3 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to support faster processing and improved service delivery of open work permits for vulnerable workers
  • Most migrants cannot apply for these permits because of onerous application procedures which require access to legal advice  and documentation. Open work permits for vulnerable workers are one-time non-renewable permits – they are a band-aid solution that allows some to exit one bad job but then forces workers right back into the system that produced those bad jobs. Tied work permits and temporary immigration status are the problem, not processing.
• Budget 2021 proposes to invest $428.9 million over five years, with $398.5 million in remaining amortization, starting in 2021-22, to develop and deliver a new digital platform for immigration process.
  • The problems with the immigration system are not just about technology. Processing backlogs and long wait times are the result of the many unjust and impossible requirements migrants must meet in order to access permanent residency.
• $49.5 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to Employment and Social Development Canada, to support community-based organizations in the provision of migrant worker-centric programs and services, such as on-arrival orientation services and assistance in emergency and at-risk situations, through the new Migrant Worker Support Program.
  • This funding aims to provide rights information to migrants without permanent resident status that migrant groups have called a “waste of resources”. But the problem is not that migrants don’t have information about their rights, it’s that they are either excluded from rights or cannot assert those they do have without risking termination and deportation, because of their temporary immigration status. 

Please visit :  https://migrantrights.ca/budget2021/

​Published on April 18, 2021
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Migrant care workers, we won many of our demands, but too many of us are excluded! Last week, the federal government announced a new PR program, and updates about the backlog and the pilot program. These changes happened because migrant care workers got noisy! We signed petitions, spoke in the media and on social media. But we know that if the government did this, they can do more. No more partial solutions! Keep organizing and calling for full and permanent immigration status for all now! We can get the government to make even better rules. 
Right now, the government wants to cool us down, but the truth is that we can’t. We need to keep getting louder for status for all! 
Two years ago, the government announced that they will fix problems for us care workers when they created the Interim Pathway Program. But nothing was fixed – all it did was create a backlog. Now again they have made new announcements, but we still don’t have PR and continue to be separated from our families. We cannot stop being noisy until we ALL have PR for us and our families. 
With the announcement of the new PR program, many of us are panicking. We are searching for English exams, trying to get documents from back home, and it’s creating a lot of stress. So here’s a quick summary of what you need to know and do: 

• If you already applied for PR under the Interim Pathway Program (and completed 12 months of work) or under the other two caregiver pilot programs (and have completed 24 months of work), do not reapply under the new PR program announced on April 14th. 

>> The government has announced that they will clear the backlog and the new PR program won’t get you PR faster. But the government has only promised to process 6000 applications by the end of the year, even though there are over 12,000 applications already in the backlog! So even with this promise, we have to wait. Many of us still don’t have open work permits. We must continue to call for PR for all of us. 

• If you are a Home Support Worker who hasn’t applied for PR and you have CLB Level 5 and the educational accreditation, you should apply under the current Home Support Worker Pilot Program.  

>> This is because the new PR program announced on April 14th is small and spots will fill up quickly. This program is not just for migrant care workers, but also for other essential workers. It is many people’s only chance at getting PR and being reunited with their families, so if you don’t need to apply, then don’t. For the Home Support Worker Pilot Program, the government announced that 516 out of 2750 applications have been made so far in 2021, so you are safer applying under the Home Support Worker Pilot Program. But we know getting PR is difficult, and we are still being mistreated at work, so we must keep fighting for status for all!

• If you don’t have the educational accreditation OR you are unable to get past CLB Level 4 OR you are a Home Childcare Worker and have 12 months of work experience, you should try to apply through the new PR program announced on April 14th. Click here to see if you are eligible for the new PR program and learn how to apply.

>> But you should know that there are only 50,000 spots in the new PR program and hundreds of thousands of people will be trying to apply. Many of us are having issues booking our English test because the IELTS and CELPIP websites have crashed or spots are filling up. Some of us don’t have valid work permits or implied status, have lost our immigration status or are having problems finding a job – which means we may not qualify for this program. Even if you are eligible, keep raising your voice for landed status for ALL. 
>> The new PR program will open on May 6th and will be open until the spots are full or until the cap is met. 
>> The government also announced that as of April 8th, 2367 out of 2750 applications have been made for the Home Childcare Provider Pilot Program. Because of this, you may be safer applying under the new PR program announced on April 14th if you are eligible. 
As you can see, too many of us are excluded. We continue to be tied to our employers and be mistreated. We continue to be separated from our families. All of us want status, so why can some apply and not others? The government promised us PR, so why are we still waiting? Our message is clear: We are done waiting. We will not accept anything less than Status for All NOW! 
​These changes are good, but not good enough, we will keep organizing! Sign our petition: www.LandedStatusNow.ca/

Please visit :  https://www.caregiversactioncentre.org/newprchanges2021

Public Policy ConsiderationsThe pandemic has highlighted the contribution of foreign nationals in Canada, across all sectors and skill levels. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need to ensure that Canada has the necessary workforce to support the physical health and wellbeing of individuals, as well as the economic recovery. The public policy targets foreign nationals with at least one year of work experience in Canada in an essential occupation, in recognition of their economic contribution and in acknowledgement of the ongoing need that Canada has for these professionals. In addition, the public policy helps retain French and French immersion teachers to address the shortage of French-language teachers in Canada outside of Quebec and by doing so, supports the Government of Canada’s objectives on official languages.

While applications for permanent residence have been accepted and processed throughout the pandemic, the global travel restrictions and capacity constraints have led to a shortfall in admissions in 2020. The 401,000 new admissions announced for 2021 in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan are key to ensuring Canada has the workers it needs to fill key essential positions and remain competitive in attracting global talent.
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As such, I hereby establish that, pursuant to my authority under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Act), there are sufficient public policy considerations that justify the granting of permanent resident status or an exemption from certain requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Regulations), to foreign nationals who meet the conditions (eligibility requirements) listed below.

10 months ago today we began our campaign for full and permanent immigration status for all. Today, migrants won a major victory. At least 90,000 more people and their families will get permanent resident status! 
Keep reading to see if you qualify!
Migrants bravely spoke up about injustice and forced the federal government to acknowledge that permanent resident status is necessary to be able to access or assert basic rights. Today’s announcement proves that the federal government can change immigration rules. Full and permanent immigration status for all in the country and permanent resident status on arrival for all in the future is possible and we will not stop until we win it. Nothing less is acceptable. Your support has been crucial in this victory and we ask you to recommit to this fight. 
Today’s announcement creates a partial and short-term opening to PR for some but does not change the fundamentally temporary nature of the immigration system. Each year hundreds of thousands of people come with temporary permits. The new program only includes migrants with select work experience and denies status to anyone who is unemployed, even in an economic downturn.
All undocumented migrants – over 500,000 people – are excluded from this new program, despite the essential work many are doing in our communities. It is the temporary immigration system that has pushed our communities out of status, and it is the same immigration system that continues to keep us out. 
The new program includes English language requirements which will exclude many groups of workers and entire communities. Many migrants who otherwise could meet the language requirements will be scrambling to get testing and accreditation done during this short window because of COVID-19 related shutdowns. 
It is crucial that in this moment we assert that all of us are essential. All migrants, no matter what kind of work we do, waged or unwaged, must be included. Permanent resident status is not a gift or a prize to be earned – it is the only way to ensure equality of rights and access to basic services. Anything less permits and produces inequality. 
If you are a migrant who fulfills the criteria below you may be able to apply for permanent resident status. But remember, we won this because of collective action, and we cannot stop until we win STATUS FOR ALL. 

Here’s what migrants are saying“For us undocumented migrant workers, we know that our work is truly essential. So it is disappointing to see that in this announcement we are excluded. When the government does not address the temporary migrant workers program’s fundamental issue, these changes, although welcomed, indeed fall short of the aspirations of ALL migrants and advocates. It simply reinforces the existing neoliberal agenda within the Canadian immigration system.” 
– Marisol B. Migrante Canada
“Undocumented people like me work on the frontlines in long-term care homes, caring for the sick and the elderly, and in many other essential jobs. Why are we being excluded? Without permanent resident status, we are shut out of healthcare, even the COVID19 vaccine, we can’t defend ourselves against bad bosses, and we live in constant fear of detention and deportation”. 
– Lily, Caregivers Action Centre
“For the first time, some seasonal agricultural workers may have a path to permanent resident status, but the requirement for passing a high level English test excludes the majority of us. This is discrimination. They call us essential, but they continue to exclude us. We demand status for all.”
– Gabriel Flores, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change 
“As essential workers we do permanent work and therefore we should be granted FULL and PERMANENT IMMIGRATION STATUS so we can bring our family the soonest in Canada and be reunited, especially with our children who needed our guidance as their parents. We give so much of our life to improve Canada’s economy by serving our Canadian employers with the best of our service even though we missed our family back home. We shouldn’t wait any longer – full and permanent immigration status for all migrants now!” 
– Judy, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights
“The immigration program announcement excludes migrant student workers like me who do not meet these narrow and arbitrary requirements. We have seen over and over that the government can make changes but is choosing not to make the necessary changes that we all deserve. All migrant and undocumented people deserve full and permanent immigration status! “
– Sashanna, Migrant Students United

Details of the program announced today

1. You must hold a valid work permit right now or be eligible to restore your work permit. You must be currently employed, though you do not necessarily need to be employed in the sector through which you qualify for the program. 
2. You must have 12 months of accumulated work experience in the previous 3 years in the streams below. 
3. You must prove CLB Level 4 language competency unless you are in the educational stream, in which case you must prove CLB Level 5.  
4. You must not be inadmissible under IRPA (Medical or Criminal inadmissibility). 
5. The streams are:
   1. 20,000 applications for temporary workers in 40 occupations in health care.
   2. 30,000 applications for temporary workers in 95 selected essential occupations including caregiving and food production and distribution. Click here for more info.
   3. 40,000 applications for international students who graduated with a minimum 8 month degree from a university, or a 16 month certificate or diploma from a Canadian college in the last 4 years, but no earlier than January 2017. You must have been continuously enrolled, with no gaps in your studies. Self-employed work in qualifying sectors does not count. Click here for more. 
   4. There are also additional streams for French-speaking or bilingual candidates outside of Quebec. See more here and here. 
6. Applications will open on May 6 and will remain open for six months or when the caps are reached. Other final details will only be available when the program opens on May 6th. 

Please visit : 
​      https://migrantrights.ca/migrantswinprpath/
      https://youtu.be/fwi3KSYaKQY

Prime Minister Trudeau, Immigration Minister Mendicino, and my Member of Parliament,
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Care work is the important work done to take care of children, sick and elderly in the home, often done by migrant workers. This care work is the backbone of Canada’s labour market and social support systems. Without care work, the economy doesn’t work. Canada must create a national care strategy to ensure quality care for children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Decent work and landed status now for the workers providing that care labour must be the foundation of Canada’s care economy.
Many care workers are paid low wages, work long hours and live in difficult conditions for years to have the chance to apply for permanent residency. They are tied to their employers and face exploitation as a result. Others face immense difficulty getting other jobs, particularly during COVID19. Many are unable to get PR because of language tests and educational accreditation requirements that are expensive, time consuming, and unnecessary. Migrant care workers live and work here already, requiring further proof of education or language skills is discriminatory. Care workers that have applied for permanent residency have been waiting for years to hear a decision on their application. 
We call on you to act quickly to ensure fairness. This means:

1. Landed status now for all care workers in the country 
2. No more waiting for PR processing
3. No English language requirements
4. No education accreditation requirement
5. No more tied work permits 
6. Reunite families

Granting landed status to care workers should be accompanied by granting full and permanent immigration status to all migrant and undocumented people in Canada now, and permanent resident status on arrival to all migrants in the future. Finally, we call on Canada to sign the ILO Convention C189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. 

Landed Status Now: Care Workers Organize! Members: Alberta Careworkers Association (Edmonton), Caregivers Action Centre (Toronto), CCESO – Careworker Connections and Educational Support Organization (Toronto), Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights (Vancouver), Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (Ontario), Migrante Alberta, Migrante Canada, Migrante Ottawa, PINAY Quebec (Montreal).

Please visit : https://migrantrights.ca/take-action/landed-status-now/
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