Canada wants to open 5 more visa offices in China to attract more skilled Chinese workers and students

Following the tightening of restrictions that has led to fewer Chinese people immigrating to Canada, the Canadian government has decided to open up five new visa offices in hopes of attracting Chinese tourists, skilled workers, and international students.
Currently, Canada has four visa offices in China, one in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Chongqing. The government plans to open up new centers in Chengdu, Sichuan province; Jinan, Shandong province; Shenyang, Liaoning province; Nanjing, Jiangsu province; and Wuhan, Hubei province.
John McCallum, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, met with Chinese officials in Beijing this week to discuss opening the new centers. McCallum also plans to cut down on much of the bureaucratic red tape and streamline the process for valuable workers and students wishing to live in Canada.
“We want to make it easier for them to stay in Canada. So we have the system called Express Entry, in which you have a certain number of points to be accepted as an immigrant,” McCallum explained, reports ECNS.

Skilled Chinese workers — particularly those students fluent in English — are valued assets for an aging Canadian economy. “Canada is an aging country, so we need new young immigrants to support our economy and help make it grow,” McCallum said.
McCallum believes that a new demographic of trained Chinese professionals — experts in technology sectors — will give the country the necessary push it needs to innovate and prosper.
“Canada needs to take advantage of a great economic opportunity to capture this market and the opening of more visa application centers throughout China would facilitate travelers seeking to come to Canada,” an anonymous government official told CBC.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tasked McCallum with drafting up a three-year immigration plan that will be revealed in further detail this fall.
Hopefully, Chinese officials still aren’t sore about Canadian reporters questioning China’s human rights record. Otherwise, they might not be receiving a whole lot of that overseas talent…

By Robin Winship