A top immigration lawyer is challenging Filipino Canadians based in Metro Vancouver to make an appeal to political leaders in Canada to speed up the turtle-paced movement for the approval of visa applications in Manila, Philippines.    

Lawyer Catherine Sas

“I would like to pose the challenge to Filipino community in Canada to go to your politicians to say that this is wrong,” says lawyer Catherine Sas during a meeting with leaders of various Filipino organizations in Metro Vancouver attended by no less than Philippine Ambassador Jose Brillantes, recently.

Sas explains that it just about time to recognize the voice of Filipinos and bring your community profile forward to the Canadian government and say, “Canada needs Filipino skills and talents.”

Sas also disclosed that to apply for permanent immigrant visa from Manila, it would take about five or even six years to complete the processing time while two to three years to process the visa for care giver applicants.

She noted that unlike before, about 92 percent of the total numbers of caregivers coming to Canada were Filipinos but it went down to 77 percent due to more tedious and stricter system in visa applications. “Processing time is really bad news for Filipinos.”

Sas said that over the last ten years, Filipinos on permanent immigrant status have consistently been the third and fourth top source country of immigrants in Canada since 1997 and have gone from a low in 1998 at 8,000 migrants to almost 18,000 in 2006.

The Philippines consistently placed third after China and India on permanent immigrant visa applications granted.

On temporary worker side, Sas explains that “you will be surprise to learn that the Philippines come behind the United States, Mexico and France while China and India don’t even come to top 10.”

Sas also advises Filipino organizations to look into the new BC Provincial Nominee Program that could be particularly beneficial for skilled Filipino workers and other Asian nationals such as Chinese and Indian nationals.

Sas, a proud employer of two Filipina caregivers for her kids over the past nine years, advises that Filipino Canadians should be taking the resume, credentials of family members, relatives and even friends from the Philippines and get them the employers to qualify for the program. “The employers right now cannot find Canadian people to fill their jobs,” Sas said. “You must get the resume and curriculum vitae of your friends and relatives and have it processed by the BC provincial government.

“It is not months and not years but up to only six weeks,” Sas said. “Be candid and don’t tell Canada immigration what you think they would like to hear. Speak the truth.” Sas adds “It is always better to get good advice from immigration lawyers so we can do what we can do to get your family members here.”