Hard-sell of Canada on as more qualify in new points system

"You qualify, you qualify, and you qualify," said the consultant as he went around noting details in the score sheets of hopeful immigrants to Canada.

Though it was a short time after Iftar, the office room on the mezzanine floor of a building in Bur Dubai was packed for the free seminar advertised by an immigration consultant firm.

The same scene is being played out in many consultant offices around the emirates today as at present there is a hard-sell of Canada underway, following Ottawa's decision to reduce the number of points in the selection process of immigrants.

Most of the people in the room scored 67 points, the new pass marks, except for two. Both were advised to enroll in English-language courses either at private coaching institutes or the British Council.

"About 98 per cent of people are qualifying now," says A.G.B. Chandran, a consultant with Vision Immigration Services, after the seminar. The people in the room were mostly from the Indian subcontinent and Nepal. India sends the largest number of immigrants to Canada, after China.

Whatever be the advantages of being a landed immigrant in Canada, the expense is huge and the paperwork takes at least a year. To start off, the consultant will charge US$500 when you sign a contract with the firm.

The fees add up to about US$2,500. Then there is the application fee, the medical exam fee, the landing fee and the IELTS examination fees (if you are advised to take an English language course).

Chandran agrees that some immigrants return to the Gulf after a few years in Canada, possibly for lack of work. "You know why?" he asks. "Our people only concentrate on three cities: Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. The other provinces and cities need so many skilled workers," he says.

Chinese head list, followed by Indians
* According to reports from India, there has been a 200 per cent increase in the number of visa applications in the past 45 days as compared to January-September this year.

* Canada last year granted permanent resident status to 28,815 Indians against 33,231 to Chinese.