Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act

Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act (CAHWCA) was passed into law on June 24, 2000, making Canada the first country in the world to incorporate the obligations of the Rome Statute into its national laws.

The Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act officially criminalizes genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes based on customary and conventional international law, including the Rome Statute of the ICC. Defining these crimes in Canadian law allows Canada to take advantage of the complementarity provisions under the Rome Statute.

Desire Munyaneza was the first person to be charged under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. He was arrested in Toronto in 2005 after seeking asylum in Canada, which Canadian immigration officials rejected.

Desire Munyaneza was born in 1966 as the son of a wealthy Hutu shopkeeper in Butare. He was running the town's main general store when the genocide in Rwanda began in April 1994.

According to a report of the organization “African Rights”, Munyaneza was known as a political extremist even before April 1994. He is said to have formed close working relationships with the principal military officers and local government officials in charge of the genocide in Butare. During the 100 days of killings, he distinguished himself by virtue of his energy and dedication to the policy of massacres, and the efficiency of his operations [Source].

He is now facing a maximum of 25 years in prison in Canada after a Canadian Court found him guilty of guilty of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity for 1994 rapes, murders and torture in Rwanda.

Desire Munyaneza, 42, was found guilty of seven counts by a Quebec Superior Court for acts committed in southern Rwanda from April to July 1994 under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.

"As an armed conflict raged in Rwanda between the military and the Rwandan Patriotic Front, Desire Munyaneza intentionally killed dozens in Butare and its surroundings that were not directly involved in the conflict, raped several women, and pillaged homes and businesses of people who also had nothing to do with the unrest," judge Andre Denis said in court.

"As such, you have been found guilty of committing war crimes as defined under Canadian law," he said to the accused [Source]

For more information about Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, visit www.international.gc.ca.

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Filipina Caregiver Faces Deportation

Canada's caregiver program offers permanent resident status to caregivers after they complete 24 months of live-in care within three years.

Photo Credit: Arlen Redekop, The Province

But Hesanna Santiago, a Filipina caregiver in Canada, is now facing deportation even after complying with the 24 months work experience requirement.

Part of the requirement before a permanent resident visa is issued is that the applicant and family members must undergo medical examination. Applicants actually go through two medical examinations: to enter Canada on a work permit and before permanent resident visa issuance.

This reminded me of the case of Juana Tejada, who went through similar situation. The only difference is that in the case Juana Tejada, she faced deportation due to her medical problem. In the case of Hanna Santiago, she is now facing deportation because her 12-year-old daughter was diagnosed with kidney disease.

An application for permanent resident visa may be refused if the applicant or any family member is considered medically inadmissible in Canada. However, her family may still be given permanent resident status if Citizenship and Immigration Canada grants an exception based on compassionate groundsbased on humanitarian and compassioante grounds.

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Nanny Hotline for Caregivers in Ontario

Here's a good news for caregivers in Canada particularly those working in Ontario.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour set up a special "Nanny Hotline" that may be used by caregivers to seek advise on their rights under Ontario's provincial labor laws, or to report cases of abuse and exploitation.

The toll-free hotline for caregivers in Ontario is 1-866-372-3247

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Canadian Visa Office

Here's the list of Canadian Visa Office where you may submit your Canada Visa applications:

COUNTRY	CANADIAN VISA OFFICE
	Applications for Permanent Resident Visas	Applications for Temporary Resident Visas, Study Permits or Work Permits	Applications for Travel Documents (Permanent Residents Abroad)
Afghanistan	Islamabad	Islamabad	Islamabad
Albania	Rome	Rome	Rome
Algeria	Paris	Algiers	Paris
American Samoa	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Andorra	Paris	Paris	Paris
Angola	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Anguilla	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Antigua and Barbuda	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Argentina	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
Armenia	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Aruba	Caracas	Caracas	Caracas
Ascension	Accra	Accra	Accra
Australia	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Austria	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Azerbaijan	Ankara	Ankara	Ankara
Bahamas	Kingston	Kingston	Kingston
Bahrain	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Bangladesh	Singapore	Dhaka	Dhaka
Barbados	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Belarus	Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsaw
Belau, Republic of (or Palau)	Manila	Manila	Manila
Belgium	Paris	Paris	Paris
Belize	Guatemala City	Guatemala City	Guatemala City
Benin	Accra	Accra	Accra
Bermuda	Buffalo	New York	New York
Bhutan	New Delhi	New Delhi	New Delhi
Bolivia	Lima	Lima	Lima
Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles)	Caracas	Caracas	Caracas
Boznia-Herzegovina	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Botswana	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Brazil	Sao Paulo	Sao Paulo	Sao Paulo
British Indian Ocean Territory	Colombo	Colombo	Colombo
Brunei	Singapore	Singapore	Singapore
Bulgaria	Bucharest	Bucharest	Bucharest
Burkina-Faso	Abidjan	Ouagadougou, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Ouagadougou, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Burma (Myanmar, Union of)	Singapore	Bangkok	Bangkok
Burundi	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Cambodia	Singapore	Bangkok	Bangkok
Cameroon	Abidjan	Yaounde for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Yaounde for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Canada (for temporary lawful resident only)	Buffalo	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.	N/A
Canary Islands	Paris	Paris	Paris
Cape Verde	Abidjan	Dakar, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Dakar, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Caroline Islands	Manila	Manila	Manila
Cayman Islands	Kingston	Kingston	Kingston
Central African Republic	Abidjan	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Chad	Abidjan	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Channel Islands	London	London	London
Chile	Santiago	Santiago	Santiago
China (see People’s Republic of China)
Christmas Island	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Colombia	Bogota	Bogota	Bogota
Comoros Island	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Cook Islands	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Costa Rica	Guatemala City	San Jose	Guatemala City
Croatia	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Cuba	Havana	Havana	Havana
Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles)	Caracas	Caracas	Caracas
Cyprus	Ankara Damascus	Ankara Damascus	Ankara Damascus
Czech Republic	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Nairobi	Kinshasa, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Denmark	London	London	London
Djibouti	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Dominica	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Contact the visa office in Port of Spain"Port of Spain
Dominican Republic	Port-au-Prince	Santo Domingo, for processing in Port-au-Prince	Santo Domingo, for processing in Port-au-Prince
East Timor	Singapore	Jakarta	Jakarta
Easter Island	Santiago	Santiago	Santiago
Ecuador	Bogota	Quito, for processing in Bogota	Quito, for processing in Bogota
Egypt	Cairo	Cairo	Cairo
El Salvador	Guatemala City	San Salvador	Guatemala City
England	London	London	London
Equatorial Guinea	Abidjan	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Yaounde (in person for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Eritrea	Nairobi	Asmara, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Estonia	Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsaw
Ethiopia	Nairobi	Addis Ababa	Nairobi
Falkland Islands	Buenos Aires London	Buenos Aires London	Buenos Aires London
Federated States of Micronesia	Manila	Manila	Manila
Fiji	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Finland	London	London	London
France	Paris	Paris	Paris
French Guiana	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
French Polynesia	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Gabon	Abidjan	Abidjan	Abidjan
Gambia	Accra	Accra	Accra
Gaza (Palestinian Authority)	Cairo	Cairo	Cairo
Georgia	Ankara	Ankara	Ankara
Germany	Berlin	Berlin	Berlin
Ghana	Accra	Accra	Accra
Gibraltar	Paris London	Paris London	Paris London
Greece	Rome	Rome	Rome
Greenland	London	London	London
Grenada	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Guadeloupe	Port-au-Prince Paris	Port-au-Prince Paris	Port-au-Prince Paris
Guam	Manila	Manila	Manila
Guatemala	Guatemala City	Guatemala City	Guatemala City
Guinea	In person at International Organization for Migration office in Conakry, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier) Accra - refugees	In person at the office of the IOM in Conakry, for processing in Abidjan* Abidjan (if sent by courier)	In person at the office of the IOM in Conakry, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Guinea-Bissau	Abidjan	Dakar (in person, for processing Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Dakar (in person, for processing Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Guyana	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Haiti	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
Honduras	Guatemala City	Guatemala City	Guatemala City
Hong Kong SAR	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Hungary	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Iceland	London	London	London
India	New Delhi	New Delhi Chandigarh	New Delhi Chandigarh
Indonesia	Singapore	Jakarta	Jakarta
Iran	Damascus	Tehran	Tehran
Iraq	Damascus	Amman	Amman
Ireland	London	London	London
Israel	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv
Italy	Rome	Rome	Rome
Ivory Coast	Abidjan	Abidjan	Abidjan
Jamaica	Kingston	Kingston	Kingston
Japan	Tokyo	Tokyo	Tokyo
Johnston Atoll	Manila	Manila	Manila
Jordan	Damascus	Amman	Amman
Kazakhstan	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Kenya	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Kiribati	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Kosovo	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Kosrae	Manila	Manila	Manila
Kuwait	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Kyrgyzstan	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Laos	Singapore	Bangkok	Bangkok
Latvia	Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsaw
Lebanon	Damascus Beirut	Amman Beirut Damascus	Amman Beirut Damascus
Lesotho	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Liberia	Accra	Accra	Accra
Libya	Paris	Tunis	Tunis
Liechtenstein	Paris Berlin	Paris Berlin	Paris Berlin
Lithuania	Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsaw
Luxembourg	Paris	Paris	Paris
Macao	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	Hong Kong
Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of)	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Madagascar (Republic of)	Nairobi	Antananarivo, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Mandeira	Paris	Paris	Paris
Malawi	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	Kuala Lumpur	Kuala Lumpur
Maldives	Colombo	Colombo	Colombo
Mali	Abidjan	Bamako, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Bamako, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Malta	Rome	Rome	Rome
Marianas	Manila	Manila	Manila
Marie-Galante	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
Marshall Islands (Republic of the)	Manila	Manila	Manila
Martinique	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
Mauritania	Abidjan	Dakar (in person, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Dakar (in person, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Mauritius	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Mexico	Mexico City	Mexico City	Mexico City
Micronesia (Federated States of)	Manila	Manila	Manila
Midway Island	Manila	Manila	Manila
Moldova	Bucharest	Bucharest	Bucharest
Monaco	Paris	Paris	Paris
Mongolia	Beijing	Beijing	Beijing
Montenegro	Vienna	Belgrade	Belgrade
Montserrat	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Morocco	Rabat	Rabat	Rabat
Mozambique	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Myanmar, Union of (Burma)	Singapore	Bangkok	Bangkok
Namibia	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Nauru	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Nepal	New Delhi	New Delhi	New Delhi
Netherlands	Berlin	Berlin	Berlin
New Caledonia	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
New Zealand	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Nicaragua	Guatemala City	Guatemala City	Guatemala City
Niger	Abidjan	Niamey, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Niamey, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Nigeria	Accra	Lagos	Lagos
Niue	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Norfolk Island	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
North Korea	Beijing	Beijing	Beijing
Northern Ireland	London	London	London
Northern Mariana Islands	Manila	Manila	Manila
Norway	London	London	London
Oman	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Pakistan	Islamabad	Islamabad	Islamabad
Palau (or Republic of Belau)	Manila	Manila	Manila
Palestinian Authority (Gaza)	Cairo	Cairo	Cairo
Palestinian Authority (West Bank)	Tel Aviv	Amman	Amman
Panama	Guatemala City	Guatemala City	Guatemala City
Papua New Guinea	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Paraguay	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
People’s Republic of China	Beijing Hong Kong	For a temporary resident visa or a work permit, apply to Beijing, Hong Kong or Shanghai For a study permit, apply to Beijing or Hong Kong	Beijing Hong Kong Shanghai
Peru	Lima	Lima	Lima
Philippines	Manila	Manila	Manila
Polynesia, French	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Poland	Warsaw	Warsaw	Warsaw
Ponape	Manila	Manila	Manila
Portugal (Azores, Madeira)	Paris	Paris	Paris
Puerto Rico	Buffalo	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.
Qatar	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Republic of Congo	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Republic of Madagascar	Nairobi	Antananarivo, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Reunion	Nairobi	Paris	Nairobi
Romania	Bucharest	Bucharest	Bucharest
Russia	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Rwanda	Nairobi	Kigali, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Saba (Netherlands Antilles)	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
Samoa	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Samoa (American)	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
San Marino	Rome	Rome	Rome
Sao Tome and Principe	Accra	Accra	Accra
Saudi Arabia	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Riyadh	Riyadh
Scotland	London	London	London
Senegal	Abidjan	Dakar, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)	Dakar, for processing in Abidjan Abidjan (if sent by courier)
Serbia	Vienna	Belgrade	Belgrade
Seychelles	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Sierra Leone	Accra	Accra	Accra
Singapore	Singapore	Singapore	Singapore
Slovakia	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Slovenia	Vienna	Vienna	Vienna
Solomon Islands	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Somalia	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
South Africa	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
South Korea	Seoul	Seoul	Seoul
Spain	Paris	Paris	Paris
Sri Lanka	Colombo	Colombo	Colombo
St. Pierre et Miquelon	Buffalo Paris	Buffalo Paris	Buffalo Paris
St. Barthélemy	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
St. Eustatius	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
St. Helena	Accra	Accra	Accra
St. Kitts and Nevis	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
St. Lucia	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
St. Maarten/St. Martin (Netherlands Antilles)	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince	Port-au-Prince
St. Vincent and the Grenadines	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Sudan	Cairo	Cairo	Cairo
Suriname	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Svalbard	London	London	London
Swaziland	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Sweden	London	London	London
Switzerland	Paris	For a temporary resident visa, apply to Paris For a study permit or a work permit, apply to Paris or Berlin	Paris
Syria	Damascus	Damascus	Damascus
Tahiti	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Taiwan	Taïpei	Taïpei	Taïpei
Tajikistan	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Tanzania	Nairobi	Nairobi	Nairobi
Thailand	Singapore	Bangkok	Bangkok
Togo	Accra	Accra	Accra
Tokeleau Island	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Tonga	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Trinidad and Tobago	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Tristan da Cunha	Accra	Accra	Accra
Truk Island	Manila	Manila	Manila
Tunisia	Paris	Tunis	Tunis
Turkey	Ankara	Ankara	Ankara
Turkmenistan	Ankara	Ankara	Ankara
Turks and Caicos	Kingston	Kingston	Kingston
Tuvalu	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Uganda	Nairobi	Kampala, for processing in Nairobi	Nairobi
Ukraine	Kyiv	Kyiv	Kyiv
United Arab Emirates	Business and skilled worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Uruguay	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires
U.S. Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands	Manila	Manila	Manila
United Kingdom	London	London	London
United States of America	Buffalo	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.
Uzbekistan	Moscow	Moscow	Moscow
Vanuatu	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
Vatican City	Rome	Rome	Rome
Venezuela	Caracas	Caracas	Caracas
Vietnam	Singapore	Ho Chi Minh City	Ho Chi Minh City
Virgin Islands (British)	Port of Spain	Port of Spain	Port of Spain
Virgin Islands (US)	Buffalo	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.	Buffalo Detroit Los Angeles New York Seattle Washington, D.C.
Wake Island	Manila	Manila	Manila
Wales	London	London	London
Wallis and Futuna	Sydney	Sydney	Sydney
West Bank (Palestinian Authority)	Tel Aviv	Amman	Amman
Western Sahara	Rabat	Rabat	Rabat
Yap Island	Manila	Manila	Manila
Yemen	Business and Skilled Worker classes apply to London All other classes to Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi
Zambia	Pretoria	Pretoria	Pretoria
Zimbabwe	Pretoria	For a temporary resident visa or a study permit, apply to Harare For a work permit, apply to Pretoria	Pretoria
Seafarers on tankers at sea destined to offload oil and gas in the Atlantic provinces		For a work permit, apply to London or New York

For updated list of Canadian Visa Office, visit www.cic.gc.ca

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New Procedure: Federal Skilled Worker Class Application

When the new Federal Skilled Worker Class program was implemented last year, the guidelines clearly stated that all applications will have to be submitted first to Centralized Intake Office (CIO) for assessment. But if have an Arranged Employment Opinion or Provincial Nominee Program nomination certificate, you may submit your application directly to Canadian Visa Office applicable to you.

Here's a new procedure for Federal Skilled Worker Class Applications .

All applicants in the Federal Skilled Worker Class, must submit their initial application to the Centralized Intake Office in Canada as of April 1, 2009.

There are three categories under the Federal Skilled Worker Class:

Category 1: For persons in an occupation which corresponds to the list of occupations identified in the Ministerial Instructions and have evidence of one year of continuous full-time (or full-time equivalent) experience in that occupation;

Category 2: For persons who have arranged employment offer with a Canadian employer; or

Category 3: For students or workers who are legally residing in Canada, and have done so for at least 12 months immediately before submitting their application.

There are two other programs for skilled workers who want to become permanent residents - Provincial Nominee and Quebec Skilled Workers.

IF you have an AEO and you have submitted your application to Canadian Visa Office and wondering why it is taking so long to be processed, check your Canada visa application status online. There is a great chance that your application was transferred to CIO. Here's CIO Mailing Address.

For more information about the new procedure on Federal Skilled Worker Class program, visit www.cic.gc.ca.

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Canada Pension Plan

The Canada Pension Plan is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It ensures a measure of protection to a contributor and his or her family against the loss of income due to retirement, disability and death.

Your contributions to the Canada Pension Plan provide you with a stable and dependable pension you can build on for retirement. It also provides you and your dependents with basic financial protection if you become disabled or die.

This entry is to provide a brief information about Canada Pension Plan - benefits, rates, application forms and contact information.

Canada Pension Plan Benefits

Retirement Pension - A CPP retirement pension is a monthly benefit paid to people who have contributed to the Canada Pension Plan. The pension is designed to replace about 25 percent of the earnings on which a person's contributions were based. You qualify for a CPP retirement pension if you have made at least one valid contribution (payment) to the Plan and if you are at least 65 or you are between 60 and 64, and meet the earning requirements set out in the legislation.

Disability Benefits - The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit is available to people who have made enough contributions to the CPP, and whose disability prevents them from working at any job on a regular basis. The disability must be long lasting or likely to result in death. People who qualify for disability benefits from other programs may not qualify for the CPP disability benefit.

Survivor Benefits - Canada Pension Plan survivor benefits are paid to a deceased contributor's estate, surviving spouse or common-law partner and dependent children. There are three types of benefits:

- The death benefit is a one-time payment to, or on behalf of, the estate of a deceased Canada Pension Plan contributor;
- The survivor's pension is a monthly pension paid to the surviving spouse or common-law partner of a deceased contributor;
- The children's benefit is a monthly benefit for dependent children of a deceased contributor.

Children's Benefits for Students aged 18 to 25 - If you are a full-time student between the ages of 18 and 25 and your parent or guardian is receiving a Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit or has died, you may be eligible for a monthly payment from the CPP.

You may be eligible for a monthly payment if the person who raised you was a CPP contributor and has died or is receiving a CPP disability benefit – even if that person was not legally your parent or guardian. For simplicity, the words "parent" and "child" will be used in this document to cover all such relationships. Once you turn 25 you are no longer eligible for these benefits.

Canada Pension Plan Payment Rates
The rates if there are increases in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Canada Pension Plan Payment Rates

Type of benefit	Average monthly benefit (January 2009)	Maximum monthly benefit (2009)
Disability benefit	$817.39	$1,105.99
Retirement pension (at age 65)	$501.82	$908.75
Survivors benefit (under age 65)	$367.14	$506.38
Survivors benefit (age 65 and over)	$299.11	$545.25
Children of disabled contributors benefit	$213.99	$213.99
Children of deceased contributors benefit	$213.99	$213.99
Combined survivors & retirement benefit (pension at age 65)	$714.41	$908.75
Combined survivors & disability benefit	$959.71	$1,105.99
Death benefit (max lumpsum)	$2,240.63	$2,500.00

Canada Pension Plan Application Forms
All application forms are available in electronic form. Click here to download applicable application forms for the programs and services offered under Canada Pension Plan.

Canada Pension Plan Contact Information
For more information about Canada Pension Plan, visit http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca

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Canadians are friendly people

Canadians are friendly people. I agree.

But not all.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joe Canadian <canadiansforcanadianjobs@shaw.ca>
Date: May 5, 2009 6:54 AM
Subject: Stay where u Are


Seriously, Since when did the Canadian people ask you to come here??? We do not need scavengers,cheaters,thieves,foul mouthed gagalog grammar retards and cheap ass pinays and pinoys>>> LIKE WE NEED A HOLE IN THE HEAD!!

Obviously, this Joe Canadian needs help.

Enough said. :-)

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Online campagin to prevent scams

In an effort to prevent fraud and other wrongdoings by immigration representatives, the Government of Canada launched an on-line survey as part of its campaign to inform immigrants about how to protect themselves against false claims from dishonest immigration consultants or unethical representatives.

“I’ve heard a lot of unsettling stories of how people have been taken in by dishonest immigration consultants or unethical representatives, such as labour, student or live-in care-giver recruiters,” said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

“Make no mistake – the Government enforces Canadian law when immigration fraud is proven. But we’d prefer to prevent the wrongdoing in the first place to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and protect people from harm,” said Minister Kenney, who recently hosted a town hall meeting with ethnic community members in Toronto. A similar town hall meeting will also be held in Vancouver. [Source]

Just yesterday, a friend contacted me asking me what is T4 for? According to her, she is being required by her consultant to pay P30,000 to get a T4 as part of her work permit application as a food server. T4 is a tax return slip and it definitely not required in applying for work permit. Of course, I told my friend not to pay the P30,000 and asked advised her to report it to POEA.

It actually reminds me of a story about a student asking her mom for money allegedly to buy some pronouns as part of their school project. And the mom replied back quite suspecting, "You have just bought some adjectives last week and now you have another project?" :-)

Anyway, to participate in the on-line survey , please visit www.cic.gc.ca. The online survey will be available for the next two weeks. You can help prevent scam by participating in this online campaign.

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May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada

The month of May is celebrated in Canada as Asian Heritage Month since May 2002.

This acknowledges the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. It also provides an opportunity for Canadians across the country to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Asian Canadians to the growth and prosperity of Canada.



Here's the full text of the declaration:

Official Declaration

Diversity represents one of Canada’s greatest strengths, and we strive to ensure that all Canadians have the opportunity to reach their full potential and participate in Canada’s civic life.

Over the last two centuries, immigrants have journeyed to Canada from East Asia, Southern Asia, Western and Southeast Asia, bringing our society a rich cultural heritage representing many languages, ethnicities and religious traditions.

The people of this diverse, vibrant and growing community have contributed to every aspect of life in Canada — from the arts and science to sport, business, and government.

Asian Heritage Month offers all Canadians an opportunity to learn more about the history of Asian Canadians and to celebrate their contributions to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

Thereby, we declare May as Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

Since the month’s official designation by the Government of Canada in 2002, communities across the country have been organizing annual festivities highlighting Asian arts and culture.

This year’s theme, “Building Canadian Identity,” provides an opportunity to recognize the many achievements made by Canadians of Asian origin towards the building of our country.

For more information about Asian Heritage Month, click here.

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