‘Toronto Ranked Among 10 Best Cities To Live In’

Lt Col B S Sandhu (Retd.), chairman & MD, WWICS (WorldWide Immigration Consultancy Services) tells feBT why so many Indians are immigrating to Canada

Why is Canada such an attractive destination for immigration?
Mainly because of the high quality of life and huge earning potential. Canada is a country of immense natural beauty and unlimited opportunities. The country maintains a minimal unemployment rate which has never crossed eight per cent in a decade (Source: Statistics Canada).

Does the Canadian government give preference to people with any particular skills or qualification?
Yes, the CIC (Canadian Immigration Canada) and HRDC (Human Resource Development Canada) regularly conduct surveys and come up with a list of occupations of skill shortages. Their latest preferred occupation list includes professionals of information technology, finance management, marketing, engineering, human resource, law, education, medical and paramedical field, health related occupations, hospitality, real estate, mass media etc. For businessmen aspiring to settle abroad, CIC gives business visas to those having experience in operating, directing and investing in a business in their home country.

What are the duration, paper work and expense involved to immigrate to Canada?
The visa processing usually takes between nine months to two years till you finally get your landing papers. The paper work is cumbersome and essentially requires expertise involving the experience in handling all visa correspondence with the Canadian High Commission. As far as the expenses are concerned, there are two types of fees charged by the Canadian Immigration Authorities – the ‘Visa Processing Fee’ and the ‘Right of Landing Fee’. The ‘Visa Processing Fee’ for the applicant is CDN$1050 while the ‘Right of Permanent Residence Fee’ is CDN$ 975. Besides this the applicant should have some settlement funds for his sustenance after landing in Canada.

Which Canadian cities do Indian immigrants normally settle in? Why?
In a survey of 130 cities, London based company, Economist Intelligence Unit, ranked Toronto, Vancouver, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane among the top 10 cities in the world to live. The title of number one best city in the world was split between two cities - Vancouver, Canada and Melbourne, Australia. Toronto, Canada ranked in third place.

What are the business opportunities for Indian immigrants?
Canada was adjudged as the best business destination as compared to USA and Europe (KPMG report - ‘Competitive Alternative’ published in 2002). The country offers excellent economic fundamentals, easy access to market, a cost-competitive business environment and a superb place to live in. It gives business access to over 400 million consumers of NAFTA where the total worth of the NAFTA economy is US$ 14.11 trillion. Banks offer loans and mortgages at around five per cent and the most attractive factor is its business accessibility in USA which is the largest trading partner of Canada. But professional guidance in setting up a business, preparation of business plan for submission to the immigration authorities, arranging finances and getting tie-ups is required. Here I would like to mention that in our last one decade of service to the people, WWICS has become the world leader in providing integrated resettlement solutions with a track record of having settled thousands of people who wished to relocate to greener pastures. WWICS offers a vast gamut of services and brings you resettlement solutions that unite the forces by our focused expertise and technology, resettlement solutions that go beyond your imagination, resettlement solutions that lead to brilliant strategy and integrated execution.