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Number of Pinoy caregivers allowed to enter Canada cut by half


MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino caregivers being allowed to enter Canada to work has been slashed almost in half, a report said on Tuesday. The Toronto Sun report cited data from Immigration Canada showing that the rejection rate at the Canadian visa office in Manila for Filipino caregivers rose from 35 percent in 2006 to 66 percent in 2008. “This is very frustrating for the community. These people are well-trained and well-qualified to help Canadians," said Yolanda Ladines, president of the non-governmental organization Markham Federation of Filipino Canadians, in the report. Moreover, Ladines said that it now takes 18 months to get a response from the Canadian visa office in Manila. “There is a huge demand for these people in Canada. It is disappointing that only one of three is accepted to come here," she said. In addition, the Liberal Party of Canada said in the same report that their Scarborough-Agincourt office has been getting calls from Filipinos in Toronto, saying that their relatives couldn’t obtain visas in Manila to work as live-in caregivers in Canada even though they are reportedly qualified and in demand. “The acceptance rate before was two out of three, and now it’s one out of three," said Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis. The report said that statistics showed 66 percent or 2,240 of the 3,400 Filipino caregivers who applied to work in Canada were refused visas in 2008. “There is strong demand for these workers in Canada. They are forcing people who want to apply from the Philippines to go elsewhere," he said. Last week, Karygiannis went to the Immigration Standing Committee in Ottawa to inquire about the matter. “If things haven’t changed in Manila, then why has the refusal rate doubled in the last two years?" he asked Claudette Deschenes, an immigration assistant deputy minister. According to the transcript obtained by the Toronto Sun, Deschenes said the role for caregivers has changed over the last few years, saying it has become “much more of a family reunification move than one of legitimate live-in caregivers." However, the Canadian immigration officials were quick to mention that they are not being strict only to Filipino caregivers. Immigration official Rick Stewart was quoted as saying that there are just some concerns that some institutions offering caregiver programs in other countries are not qualified. “We’re trying to assess the validity of the accreditations that people claim they have," he said. - Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV
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