Cuidado con aquellos abogados o consultores que le ofrecen garantias

Be careful of those who offer you a guarantee: "Be careful of those who offer you a guarantee
No honest lawyer makes such claims

On more than a few occasions in my twenty years of practice, prospective clients have declined to use my services because I wouldn't guarantee the outcome of their immigration application.
They claimed that for a few dollars more, they could be guaranteed the desired result by some unnamed immigration official or adviser.
In such circumstances, it's hard to distinguish between bluster and a genuine criminal enterprise.
However, what is clear is that such corruption does exist.
In June, Yves Bourbonnais, a former member of the Immigration and Refugee Board, was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to 30 counts of conspiracy and obstructing justice.
He and his accomplices solicited bribes to ensure the success of immigration appeals for cash payments of up to $15,000.
Last week, Michael O- Keefe, a senior official at the U.S. consulate in Toronto was indicted for allegedly accepting bribes in connection with U.S. visa applications. The payoff is reported to have included exotic dancers, trips to Las Vegas, jewelry, etc. He and an alleged beneficiary of this scheme, face up to 15 years in jail.
While crooked immigration officials and advisors may offer so called guarantees, honest immigration lawyers can't.
The Rules of Professional Conduct of Ontario's Law Society of Upper Canada state that a lawyer should be wary of bold and confident assurances to the client, especially when the lawyer�s employment may depend upon advising in a particular way.
A lawyer or consultant who purports to guarantee the successful outcome of an immigration application or hearing may be just as dishonest as an immigration official on the take.

Entrepreneurs to get faster immigration processing

Entrepreneurs to get faster immigration processing: "Wency Leung, Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Immigration Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Economic Development announced a new pilot project Tuesday that aims to speed up the immigration application process for entrepreneurs wanting to settle in the province.
As part of the project, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will identify entrepreneurs interested in locating to B.C., then mail them information about the province's existing Provincial Nominee Program to encourage them to apply.
The Provincial Nominee Program, introduced in 2001, puts skilled workers and investors on a fast track to obtain permanent residency in B.C.
'In general, this will go much more quickly and make it possible for people to come here who might otherwise say, 'We want to go somewhere else,' ' Immigration Minister Monte Solberg said at a press conference in Burnaby.
'I think this is B.C.'s response to their own desire to bring more entrepreneurs here. This is a province that thrives on entrepreneurship.'
Solberg said there is no limit on the number of people who can enter the province under the program.
He said there are an estimated 4,000 people currently applying to immigrate to Canada who could qualify as entrepreneurs. About 1,000 of them have indicated they're eyeing B.C. as a destination, and could immediately be targeted under the new pilot project.
Those who apply to the Provincial Nominee Program as entrepreneurs would still have to meet a number of criteria, as outlined by the province, such as making a $1 million investment if they locate in the Lower Mainland, or investing a lower amount and creating a certain number of jobs if they intend to settle elsewhere in the province, Solberg said.
The provin"

Canada National News - The Brooks Bulletin

Canada National News - The Brooks Bulletin: "Foreign workers program is failing Canadian businesses: report


CELESTE MACKENZIE
Sunday, August 13, 2006

OTTAWA (CP) - A federal program that brings low-skilled foreign workers to Canada is not meeting the needs of labour-hungry employers, says a new report.

The problem is that the program only allows workers to stay in Canada for a maximum of 12 months, says the Canadian Bar Association report.

Author Wendy Danson, an Edmonton lawyer, said the 2003 federal pilot program to bring in low-skilled workers makes employers provide worker housing, pay return airfare, and doesn't let workers bring families or eventually apply for landed immigrant status.

'There is such a demand for labour here (in Alberta) because of the oil sands,' she said. 'It's just crazy. You can earn 19 dollars an hour just for sweeping the floor. Our clients just can't get the labour they need.'

The association includes 800 immigration lawyers who represent a variety of businesses.

Danson submitted the report to the Department of Human Resources, which is completing a review of the program's impact on employers. The review will feed into a general assessment of its Foreign Workers Program.

Susan Nutt, who runs Alberta Bridges, a bridge maintenance and construction company in Pickardville, Alta., says she employs up to 19 workers year-round at a minimum of $18.65 an hour. In 2005, Canadians she hired never showed up for work, or quit after a few weeks, so this spring she employed six Filipino workers through the program. They will be replaced with six more next year and Nutt says she'll be sad to see the first batch go.

'Much of the year is just getting people trained, and safety is a big part of that."

Macleans.ca | Top Stories | Canada | O Canada, do we stand on guard for thee?

Macleans.ca | Top Stories | Canada | O Canada, do we stand on guard for thee?: "O Canada, do we stand on guard for thee?
What does the government owe dual citizens who live elsewhere?
LUIZA CH. SAVAGE
Maybe it was the complaining that did it. Here was the Canadian government spending a yet-untold sum to evacuate Lebanese Canadians from a war zone, while most Canadians were coming to terms with the fact that there were enough dual citizens living in Lebanon -- around 40,000 -- to fill a small city. Then came the complaints of some evacuees about disorganization and nauseating conditions on the boat ride out. One evacuee said she would have preferred to stay under the bombs, another said she was ashamed to be Canadian. Although most evacuees said they were grateful, well, some Canadians finally snapped.
'If they don't live here and don't pay taxes, and may never be coming back, what is the responsibility of the government of Canada supported by the Canadian taxpayer?' asks Garth Turner, Tory MP for Halton, Ont. His website became one of numerous forums for the outpouring of passions around the country, where critics disparaged 'Canadians of convenience' and 'dualies' who use their passports as 'insurance.' The outraged calls streaming into his office 'became an overwhelming chorus of concern,' says Turner. "