Lesson 11 — Activity 1: Who Comes and from Where?

So who emigrates to Canada, and what type of people is our government looking for? Canada is always looking for skilled workers, business people, and labourers. The government is trying to make Canada stronger, and in order to do that, they look for people who will help the economy and strengthen Canada as a country. Canada's economy and society become richer because of immigration.

In Canada, there are four categories of immigrants: family class (people who are closely related to Canadian residents living in Canada), economic immigrants (skilled workers and business people), other (people accepted as immigrants for humanitarian or compassionate reasons), and refugees (people who are escaping persecution, torture, or cruel and unusual punishment).

Canada is a multicultural country whose exciting cultural makeup is due to its ethnic diversity. The vast majority of Canadians are descended (related to someone who lived in the past) from immigrants, and many are new immigrants. Historically, most immigrants came from Europe. But patterns of immigration change over time, and currently the largest group of new Canadians are from Asia. For example, many new immigrants are coming to Canada from Syria, which is located in the Middle East and is part of Southwestern Asia.

I'm sure it wouldn't take to long to think of a friend or even a family member who immigrated to Canada. Most of us only have to go back one or two generations to have an immigrant ancestor. Canada's immigrants come from almost 200 countries. Today, the majority of immigrants who come to Canada are from Asia. However, significant numbers also come from Britain (or more generally, Europe) and the United States, as well as a number of African countries. As you can see, this makes Canada a very well rounded multicultural Country. Canada also accepts many refugees. So, what is the difference between an immigrant and a refugee?

• An immigrant is a person living in another country that wishes to come to Canada and has a plan for when they arrive. They have applied to the government to live and work here. They would have all the necessary paperwork done before entering the country and would arrive with a passport for entry into Canada.

• A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape danger, war, persecution, or natural disaster. They often come to the country without prior notice to the government. They are seeking refuge — a safe place to live.

As you have probably heard about in the news, Canada has accepted thousands of new refugees from Syria. As of February 2016, Canada has welcomed over 25,000 Syrian refugees, and more are on the way. These refugees are fleeing their homes due to civil war and unrest in their home country.

@creativecommons

               

People become refugees every day around the world. Certain situations lead to violence and conflict, which in turn causes refugees to flee their homes and countries of origin. Very often, refugees are lacking the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. There are approximately 10.6 million refugees in the world today.

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