Fiery headline from Toronto Star...
"Language test angers immigration lawyers"... because, as we all know... the last thing any lawyer wants to hear about is that pesky "unassailable evidence" thing.
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UPDATE: Red Star readers revolt
"Should prospective immigrants be tested on their ability to speak English or French?"
7 comments:
If you were born and raised in an English or French speaking country then I agree that this exam is a complete waste of time.
That being said, who knows what the real proposal is by the Dept of Immigration? I have been burned many times by taking what the Toronto Star says as fact way too often to believe anything they say or the complete true story. For all we know the proposal may be reasonable. This statement in the story is something I don't doubt based on past experience: "While immigration officials claim a significant number of people who are not native English or French speakers are also choosing to bypass the language test..."
That being said we already have an English test called the TOEFL for immigrants who want to work in many jobs. I see no problem with a test.
I still remember the Poetry exam I had to take to get into medical school.
My guess is the proposed test is a very reasonable one , merely to allow confirmation that the applicant was truthful and can communicate even at a low level.
If you are applying with a skilled trade or especially with skilled technical ability and you cannot speak one word of English or French , that is more than a slight problem.
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it takes what, 15 minutes to complete this test?
perhaps, if this test is too much trouble for prospective immigrants looking to be a part of our little social enterprise here in canada... they should instead try heading anywhere in the third world... where slipping the border guards a small bribe assures you a speedy, gracious welcome.
oh, that's right... that's what most of them are trying to escape.
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Anything that makes immigration lawyers angry, or upset, or frustrated, or willing to quit their jobs, must be a good thing.
This group seems to be the bottom of the barrel in a profession that is not exactly up there in terms of honest and integrity.
What is really needed, and this should make them really angry, is that every immigration lawyer and especially their paralegals be required to be certified and belong to a professional society that monitors honesty and has the power to punish unethical action.
I don't think the Law Society, as currently constituted, fulfills that role.
I don't fink that immigrants from the United States, right, United Kingdom, Ireland, right, Australia, right, or New Zealand should 'ave ter take the bloody 'am sandwich test. This is an insult ter blokes 'oo already speak English as their muvver tongue.
Google dialectizer.
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"Mé said... I don't fink that immigrants from..."
you know what... additionally, let's test for affability, intelligence, communicable diseases and terrorist and criminal history... and then only take the top ten percent of all applicants.
and, oh yeah, a couple of provisos... such as lie to us and you're toast... and a five year probationary citizenship.
we'd still be able to fill whatever quota there is for immigration.
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Considering how easy that first world countries hand out citizenship to third-world newcomers, it appears that many coming from English speaking countries to Canada now are just third-world retreads anyways. In other words, they didn't make it in the country of their first choice of heard of a new or better deal elsewhere. This policy should stand, without language skills how can any immigrant even hope to be useful in this economy? (real conservative)
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