Episode #71 – Extending Supervisas to Five Years, with Kyle Seeback, MP

Steven Meurrens

Kyle Seeback is the Member of Parliament for Dufferin – Caledon. He is the author of Bill C-242, the Reuniting Families Act.

Bill C-242 would allow a parent or grandparent who applies for a temporary resident visa as a visitor to purchase private health insurance outside Canada and to stay in Canada for a period of five years.

On June 7, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that it would enact these measures through public policy. The changes will come into force on July 4, 2022.

Episode #70 – The Importance of Compassion, with David Langlands, a 37-year Officer at CBSA

Steven Meurrens
David Langlands is a recently retired 37-year officer of the Canada Border Services Agency. He worked at land, sea, air and even mail points of entry. We discuss his career, interacting with refugee claimants and people fleeing dire circumstances, compassion, how he once found a zip-log bag labeled Antrhax in someone’s suitcase, whether all CBSA interactions with applicants should be recorded, and more.

Episode #69 – COVID-19 as an H&C Factor, Mandamus and FSW vs. CEC Priorities, with Raj Sharma

Steven Meurrens
A discussion about the Federal Court of Canada decision in Mohammad v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2022 FC 1, how being a COVID-19 front-line worker is considered in the H&C context, mandamus, tips for litigators, and how to prioritize FSW applications vs. CEC. Raj Sharma is a Partner at Stewart Sharma Harsanyi in Calgary.

Episode #68 – The Economic Pros and Cons of Canadian Immigration, with Mikal Skuterud

Steven Meurrens
Mikal Skuterud is a professor of economics at the University of Waterloo. The paper on TR-to-PR transition rates can be found here: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogu…01202200100002. The paper on outmigration can be found here: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f0019…012340-eng.htm.
3:00 – Does Canada economically need high immigration levels because of low-birth rights?
6:00 Is it short sighted from an economic perspective to focus on labour market needs and the wishes of people to have their parents live with them?
9:00 Is there a way to measure whether economic immigrants are increasing or decreasing GDP per capita?
19:00 What role should immigration play in resolving short-term labour shortages?
32:00 What would be the economic consequence if all foreign workers became permanent residents?
42:00 Is there data to support the notion that international students perform better economically in Canada?
53:00 How does the concept of utility play into macroeconomic planning in the context of immigration?
60:00 The economic integration of immigrants.
67:00 How should the CRS be re-weighted?
1:18:00 Is Canada becoming too reliant on immigrants propping up housing to support the Canadian economy?