Why do people immigrate to Canada?

The reasons behind a decision to immigrate differ from one person to another. Some of the reasons we find very common among our clients from the Maghreb and the Middle East are ``Children`s education`` and ``the Canadian Passport``

Most of the applicants under the economic class are people who are already well established in their respective home countries and are not after an economic or social gain. Indeed, many of our clients are doctors, engineers, financial managers and successful businessmen, and most of whom have made the decision to obtain status in Canada for reasons other than for a permanent stay in Canada.

For some, immigration is a way of getting their children enrolled in one of the best education systems while benefiting from the preferential tuition fees that are available for citizens and permanent residents of Canada. Canadians pay less than a third of what international students would pay in colleges and universities and benefit from totally free education in elementary and secondary schools.

For others, a permanent resident status is an obvious lead to Canadian citizenship. In fact, compared to other western countries, Canada offers one of the easiest and fastest ways to naturalization. Permanent residents should accumulate 1095 days of physical presence in Canada to apply for Canadian citizenship and obtain a Canadian passport. Canada is also one of few coveted western countries that allow its new citizens to maintain their original citizenship. A good number of these new citizens would move back to their country of origin once they receive their Canadian passport. To them, a Canadian passport is a form of insurance they can use in case they again change their mind for social or economical reasons and decide to move back to Canada. Others have also used it to escape internal conflicts and natural disasters. Many thousands of Canadian-Lebanese pulled out their blue passport to come to safety during the 2006 Lebanon-Israel war. Similarly, Canadian-Haitians are coming back to the safety of Canada after the devastating earthquake hit Haiti last week.

Obviously, we are not advocating that everyone who immigrates to Canada does it for pure financial gain or with the sole intention to obtain a Canadian travel passport. In fact, most new immigrants choose Canada to pretty much start a new life or start their life in a country that offers a lot. Many immigrants or naturalized citizens have had a great success and have decided to make Canada their permanent home.

In the end, these sought after privileges are only available to successful candidates who were able to break through the very selective Canadian immigration system. Canada chooses what it wants in its immigrants and immigrants pick what they want from Canada.

Fatima-Zahra Fahmi practices immigration law in Toronto at Canada Immigration International and is a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants. email info@immig.ca or visit http://www.immig.ca