Dear Mr Brown:

I want to know if Canada will follow the United States and discriminate against poor countries like Haiti. I am aware that rich countries want the best immigrants, but even though some of us may not be highly educated, we are extremely hard workers.

— AH

Dear AH:

In recent weeks, the Trump Administration rescinded deportation protection granted to nearly 60,000 Haitians after the 2010 earthquake. Additionally, the Trump Administration has been withdrawing Temporary Protected Status from a number of nationalities currently living in the United States.

The Question

United States lawmakers were recently proposing decreasing the visa lottery programme by 50 per cent and prioritising countries already in the system by a merit-based system aimed at obtaining those who contribute to society, grow the economy and assimilate (like the system in Canada).

President of the United States Donald Trump reportedly made a very unfortunate remark regarding the protection of immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal by posing the vulgar and profanely racist question:

“Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries (SHCs) come here?”

Mr Trump was said to have told them that instead of granting temporary residency to citizens of countries hit by natural disasters, war or epidemics, the US should be taking in migrants from countries like Norway.

Merit-based immigration

Mr Trump seems to be suggesting that immigrants from certain so-called SHCs, including African nations, Haiti and El Salvador, are not highly skilled or contribute economically to the country.

Canada does have a merit-based immigration system. The points-based immigration system mainly places emphasis on admitting newcomers that are deemed to be capable of economic contribution, based mainly on:

• Educational attainment;

• Skilled work experience;

• The ability to address labour shortages;

• Age;

• Official Language proficiency (English and/or French); and

• Canadian Experience.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is the measure used to rank countries in terms of human development based on:

• Life expectancy, ie, a long and healthy life;

• Education, ie, mean (average) years of schooling; and

• Per capita income indicators.

For example, a country scores higher HDI when the lifespan is higher, the education level is higher, the GDP per capita is higher, the fertility rate is lower, and the inflation rate is lower.

The Government of Canada has established a good infrastructure to promote a high quality of life that promotes life satisfaction, which may include but is not necessarily limited to: physical health, family structure, educational attainment, employment, wealth, religious expression, standard of living, and the environment. It is interesting to note that the only country that has been ranked the highest for HDI more than Canada is Norway.

The HDI of Canada demonstrates that the merit-based approach is functional. However, one must note that there is no shortage of individuals around the world who wish to migrate to Canada under the merit-based system that come from Mr Trump’s notion of SHCs. In other words, a merit-based system does not mean that only certain races or people from certain countries are admitted.

Data from the 2016 Canadian Census shows over the last five years there have been more than twice as many immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean (which includes Haiti and El Salvador) than there were from the US. There were also more immigrants from the African continent than from the US and North and Western Europe combined. As a pattern, these immigrants are educated, employed and contributing members of society. Immigrants from these poorer countries receive less government assistance than many European counterparts.

Due to a relatively low birth rate and an ageing population, Canada seeks English- and French-speaking, educated, skilled workers who will settle in Canada. This has worked well to attract hundreds of thousands of immigrants from rich and poor countries without discrimination based on race.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA.COM for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence programs, including Express Entry, The Study & Work program, Visas or appeals, etc.

— Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM-a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to jamaica2canada@gmail.com.