Harper pledges action on immigrant credentials and aggressively reducing the Right of Landing Fee
Hard-working new Canadians need a government that respects their efforts and understands their values
TORONTO – Conservative Leader Stephen Harper today unveiled his plan to help new Canadians have their professional and work credentials recognized before they immigrate to Canada. To help new Canadians in their first year in Canada, Harper announced that a Conservative government will aggressively reduce the $975 Right of Landing fee.
“Hard-working new Canadians bring to Canada a strong work ethic, a commitment to family life, an appreciation for higher education, and a respect for law and order,” Harper said. “These are Canadian values, these are Conservative values, and these are values that we will bring to a new Conservative government.”
“One of the toughest challenges in coming to Canada is finding a job appropriate to one’s education, skills and training,” Harper continued. “Too often, new Canadians find that their credentials are not recognized in Canada.”
Harper stated that a Conservative government will:
- Immediately cut the $975 Right of Landing Fee in half and continue to reduce it over our mandate as the fiscal situation allows. Immigrants and their families can better use this money to cover the costs of starting life in Canada. The estimated cost of this reduction is $500 million over five years;
- Create a Canadian Agency for Assessment and Recognition of Credentials, to provide pre-assessment of international credentials and experience. We will work to educate employers on the value of foreign credentials. And we will work with the provinces and professional associations to ensure foreign-trained professionals meet Canadian standards while getting properly trained professionals working in Canada quickly; and
- Support Canadian parents who adopt foreign-born children by extending automatic citizenship to these children once the adoption is final.
“The current government believes immigrants owe them their vote. Paul Martin has done nothing to reduce the immigration costs facing new Canadians in his three budgets,” Harper said. “A Conservative government will give hard working immigrants the respect they deserve by reducing the Right of Landing fee and working to get foreign credentials recognized.”
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For more information: Conservative Party Press Office (613) 755-2191
