ABSTRACT
A country that recruits close to 250,000 newcomers each year, Canada currently favours skilled migrants in its selection policies. Approximately half of all migrants1 admitted annually are skilled workers and their immediate families who are selected on the basis of each applicant’s years of education, work experience and fluency in one of Canada’s official languages (Citizenship and Immigration Canada Act 2006). In contrast, refugees and their families account for less than 15 per cent of all people admitted as permanent residents. The emphasis on skilled applicants was codified in recent legislation that explicitly separated policies regarding refugees from those directed at all other applicants for permanent residence. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, approved in 2002, specifies that refugee policies should recognize the humanitarian needs of those fleeing persecution and danger and ensure that Canada fulfils its international obligations, whereas immigration policies are ‘to permit Canada to pursue the maximum social, cultural and economic benefits of immigration’ (Canada, 2001, 3(1)a).
