WORKERS RIGHTS IN CANADA

UP Alumni, Consulate General hold 

briefing on workers rights in Canada 

By Alex P. Vidal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Newly arrived workers in Canada will have a chance to learn more about their rights and responsibilities when the "First-ever Post Arrival Orientation Seminar for Temporary Workers based in B.C." will be held at the Metrotown Community Room in Burnaby on February 5.

The five-four symposium will be brought by the UP Alumni Association in B.C. in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

Among the topics will be briefing on rights and responsibilities of working in British Columbia, immigration options and opportunities, and Philippine Consulate services.

Immigration hour has reported that Canada, despite being known as a country of bitterly cold weather, is a country of choice among many Filipinos – both professional and skilled workers alike. 

Filipinos’ immigration to Canada has become a favorite topic nowadays among most of working age Filipino women and men, both in the Philippines and also those who were already working outside of the country.

HOT TOPIC

And why has immigration to Canada a hot topic? Foremost in the minds of the average Filipino is their economy, which could not satisfy to employ the ever growing population of work ready adults year after year. Specially for those who had a taste of "going abroad" – coming back to the Philippines to work is not an option, that’s why immigration to Canada comes to mind first.

Philippine statistics show that there are 700,000 new graduates yearly in the Philippines and this young people have nowhere to find a suitable employment after graduation. Many of them would work in call center agencies, many more will find temporary employment abroad but majority are thinking about immigration to Canada as their passport to a better future.

Immigration to Canada, unlike working in other countries like Saudi Arabia or Singapore or Hong Kong, gives them the chance to become a resident and then after completing certain residency requirement, become citizens of Canada.

ADVERTISING

One need only look in the classified advertising in Philippine newspapers both in the Philippines and abroad where there are great number of concentration of Filipino nationals how hot immigration to Canada really is – numerous immigration consultants and immigration lawyers advertising spots keep coming up, offering help in finding jobs or processing of immigration application papers.

Canadian provinces, in their own ways also help prop-up interest in immigration to Canada by offering seminars to both immigration consultants and lawyers and employers who are willing to recruit workers both temporary and permanent thru their provincial nominee programs.

Indeed immigration to Canada have eclipsed the former first choice of Filipinos wanting to live abroad – the U.S.A. Stricter immigration regulations in the U.S. have prompted highly skilled Filipino professionals to shun America and instead opted immigration to Canada.

RULES

Strict immigration rules is not the only reason immigration to Canada is a choice for many working Filipinos. Canada’s universal health care and top notch public education – which are both free – is another reason for this change of heart.

At present, Filipinos make up the third largest source of immigrants in Canada, next to the Chinese and Indians. And it keeps growing year after year after year. Truly, immigration to Canada is embraced by many Filipinos as their chance at a better life.