Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will travel to the UK next week in order to lure British graduates to Canada.
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04 October 2012
Canadian immigration minister wants British graduates
Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is to travel to the UK next week in an effort to persuade young graduates in a struggling economy to consider moving to Canada.
Mr Kenney has made significant changes to Canada visa and immigration policy in recent months in order to attract younger workers with in-demand skills who are able to immediately benefit the country's economy.
These changes have included prioritising younger migrants with desired skills and either English or French language proficiencies.
And now Mr Kenney is to travel to the UK to put his changes to the test and hope to persuade young British workers to 'think Canada before you think Australia'.
"There are a lot of young Britons who are under-employed or unemployed but are highly educated," the minister told the Telegraph.
"I think so many young Britons have, for some reason, thought of Australia before Canada as a destination for immigration, and we want to be at the front of the competition for the world's best and brightest."
Australia is one of the most popular destinations in the world for British migrants due to obvious attractions such as the weather, cultural similarities and its economy.
However, Mr Kenney says there are plenty of better reasons to choose Canada over Australia including a closer proximity to the UK and a robust economy which is 'the strongest in the G8'.
Mr Kenney's five day trip to the UK will see him meet his British counterpart, Immigration Minister Mark Harper as well as other figures intended to discuss economic opportunities for the two countries.
Nigel Smith, immigration consultant at the Canadian Visa Bureau, says Canada offers plenty of opportunity for young graduates.
"Canada's proximity to the means it often gets overshadowed when in reality it is the second largest country in the world with some world leading cities offering an unrivalled quality of life," said Mr Smith.
"Canada is preparing for the next few years when its current workforce starts to retire, meaning there is abundant opportunity for young ambitious graduates, particularly in engineering and IT."
The Canadian Visa Bureau is an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people make their application to the Canadian Embassy.
