Before 1885, restrictions in regard to Canadian immigration have been strongly implemented, especially to the larger groups of immigrants, without aiming at any sort of ethnicity or ethnic group.
Working Chinese in Canada
It was only in 1885 that the first-ever Chinese Head Tax was passed to the Canadian Government, which is a response to the increasing number of Chinese individuals who are employed in the Canadian Pacific Railway.
In fact, it is because of this head tax that the number of entrants from China to Canada has largely lessened from 1900 to 1903. Moreover, the Canadian Government also passed what is now called the Chinese Immigration Act. It is this law that excluded the Chinese people from getting into Canada from 1923 to 1947.
It was because of this very direct and blatant discrimination against the Chinese immigrants during the previous decades that the Government of China officially released their public apology and just compensations on the twenty-second of June 2006.
Economic immigrants
Canadian citizenship and immigration actually makes use of quite a few sub-categories for its legal immigrants and economic immigrants is one of such classifications. Moreover, the highly skilled principal applicants who have a high profile comprise more than nineteen percent of the population of all immigrants back in 2005.
The Canadian Government has also come up with a VIP program called the VIP Business Immigration Program that somehow allows immigrants the sufficient business endeavor or managerial venture that they intend to experience. It is through this VIP access or membership that the economic immigrants are granted permanent residency even for just a shorter period of time. Its counterpart in Quebec has been called the Immigrant Investor Program.
Family class
Both the citizens and the permanent residents of Canada are allowed to sponsor any family members who live outside of Canada. This way, they can help their beloved family members immigrate to Canada through the regulations and policies set under a certain Government program.
Refugees
The people who are in need of protection from their own country or from individuals who lived in other nations are also allowed under the regular statutes of Canadian immigration. In fact, it is under the Nationality Law of Canada that immigrants are allowed to apply for citizenship after residing in Canada for three years in any period that is composed of four years.
Illegal immigration
To date, there is still no information that can be considered as credible with regard to illegal Canadian immigration. Moreover, only estimates can be provided, such as the estimated range of thirty-five thousand to one hundred twenty thousand undocumented migrants in entire Canada.
The former head of the Canadian Immigration Service, James Bissett, has strongly stated that there must be absolutely no lacking in any screening process, especially for refugees. Without this screening process, there is a huge possibility that any deportation orders will be ignored and will only result in having thousands upon thousands of arrest warrants for rejected refugee claimants, with only little efforts exhausted for enforcement.
