Illegal Immigrants Myths, Canadian.

Imagine you have applied for permanent resident status in Canada under Ontario's immigration program. While your application is being considered, you must maintain legal residence in Canada.

At the time you applied, the turnaround time for a decision was 90 days, but the local bureaucracy does not honour its timetable. In fact, Ontario Immigration's website now says that processing is taking "longer than usual due to the large number of applications in our inventory."

You are here on a student visa. You have made your application in good faith well before your visa is due to expire.

However, while Ontario takes its time, your visa's expiry date is getting closer. As a law-abiding individual, you want to make sure you maintain legal status.

So you spend good money to get a good lawyer who applies to Canadian immigration for a visitor's visa. Your application clearly and explicitly discloses the reasons for your application - that you need to be here while Ontario is processing your application for permanent residence. That is to say, you wish to make Canada your permanent home, but if you leave now, your Ontario application will become null and void. A decision is due any time soon.

Lo and behold, you are informed by Ottawa that your visa application has been refused. Why? Because the bureaucrats are not satisfied that you will not try to remain in Canada after your visitor's visa has expired!

Say what? You just told them that this is exactly what you are trying to do - lawfully.

And who are you, anyway? You are an international student who has successfully earned the highest degree a Canadian university has to offer, a PhD. You have been here for several years. Before coming here, you did your undergraduate degree in one of the best universities in the UK.

The following myths are untrue however, are commonly passed off as legitimate arguments:

Illegal Immigrants Myth 1.  Unlike the United States of North America, and  Most all Other Countries of  the World, Canada has no Illegal Immigrants.

While the United States of North America have about 13 million undocumented immigrants, mostly from Mexico and South \America, Canada depending on your sources, which of  course of necessity and understandably, are all very unreliable, only has about 75,000 (The estimates actually range from 50,000 to over 100,000.) and they are, for the most part, from either the UK, or FAR EASTERN COUNTRIES.

The political divide and the poisonous debate about immigration in the United States of North America is alien to Canada’s political culture. Most Canadians are fair-minded when it comes to immigration issues. But when it is related to the undocumented people who disobey rules, overstay illegally or enter Canada without proper papers, they are looked upon with utmost disrespect and suspicion.

People who jump the regular queue are not generally welcomed in Canada. It is, as Professor Peter Showler said, “a very high Canadian value” to oppose this kind of behaviour, regardless of the unfairness of current rules or circumstances.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada recently commissioned a poll about the issue and found that nearly two-thirds of Canadians had unfavourable opinions on the undocumented immigrants in Canada. They,  most justifiably, prefer them deported over granting them “special status” you know, like in “VISIBLE MINORITY”.

Illegal Immigrants Myth 2.  Illegal Immigrants Are Criminals

Illegal immigration is a fact of life in most countries, including Canada. But illegal immigrants are not committing any crime, because the Canadian Criminal Code doesn’t list it as a crime – anywhere. Sometimes, immigrants have no choice and face persecution, rape, death, war or worse and have no choice but to be illegal while they try to get their lives on track.

Illegal Immigrants Myth 3. Drain on Canada’s Social Services and Take Jobs

Illegal immigrants cannot work legally, cannot enroll in educational courses lasting longer than six months, must pay for health care even in a costly life-threatening emergency and cannot get welfare or disability payments. These exclusions also extend to people who have allowed their work or study permit to expire or have been visiting Canada and have been in the country for less than six months.

Illegal Immigrants Myth 4. Illegal Immigrants do not pay taxes

Illegal immigrants cannot work legitimately and therefore cannot pay income taxes. However, they may pay property taxes as well as all applicable sales taxes – while still being ineligible for all of the services and benefits these taxes actually pay for.

Illegal immigrants don’t have it easy in any way in Canada, despite the myth that they do. ~~~Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan