Welcome to the July edition of Thinkr.

Contents:
Relocation and Immigration news
Upcoming events
Editorial
Archive

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Hiring Recent Immigrants
With today's labour crunch, a cost effective target market is the talented pool of recent immigrants. These talented individuals made the effort to choose Canada as their new home and are seeking the Canadian experience they so desperately need. To help bridge the gap and make hiring immigrants easier, check out these new programs:

• 5 Step Solution (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.)
• Foreign Credential Referral Office (CIC)

Lists
More interesting nuggets for everyone involved with recruitment and relocation:

Big Mac Index
Source: The Economist

Global Vacation Surveys
Source: CNNMoney.com

Profit 100
Source: Canadian Business

Executive Pay: BC's Top 100
Source: Vancouver Sun

Global Peace Index
Source: The Economist Intelligence Unit

Think About it

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website updated

Update those bookmarks! CIC unveiled its newly branded and re-organized website in June. While your links no longer work, they are temporarily re-directing you to pages where you should be able to find that same information.

Easier passport application process coming

Some relief to the passport woes: Effective August 15th, a simplified application process for passport renewals comes into effect. The application form will be shorter and less documentation is required. Effective October 1, a new guarantor policy goes into effect, allowing Canadian passport holders to become guarantors for new passport applicants

U.S. looks to delay passport requirement to June 2009

The reality of implementing the passport requirement at land border crossings has sparked an initiative to delay the requiremetn to June 2009 (instead of January 2008).

Passport rules eased for U.S. citizens travelling within the Western Hemisphere

The Department of Homeland security has temporarily granted flexibility for Americans who have applied for passports but not yet received them. They can travel with picture ID and proof that their passport application is in process.

Service Canada ovewhelmed by number of applications

This article looks at the foreign worker application process and the delays that everyone has been facing. Good news is that Service Canada has hired more people. Common sense says it may take some time to clear the backlog.

Expanded Alberta Provincial Nominee Program

The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program has expanded its offerings to include international graduates, semi-skilled workers, and a wider range of occupations.

Proposed Green Card reforms failed

The U.S. government was looking at implementing a points-based system for Green Card applications and provisions for illegal migrants to become legal. The bill had troubles getting Senate approval and failed to proceed.

Europe: immigration and skills shortages

The skills shortage is happening on a global scale and Europe is also looking to use Immigration to fill its gaps. The job boom there has also created more vacancies than available skilled labour.

South Africa: shortage of skilled workers

The shortage of skilled workers is also happening in South Africa with increases in their economic growth. The shortage is heightened by a mismatch in available labour to requirements and troubles in education, health care, and immigration controls.

China: an emerging creative superpower

China, known for its mega factories, is starting to show signs of mega creativity. This article explores this emerging creative talent and the international attention that's starting to pique.

The Sharing and Learning never stops and this last few months continued that tradition:

Sharing

We had a great time looking inside the world of campus recruitment and co-presented "Recruiting International Students: Overcoming the Immigration Hurdles" at the Campus Recruiting Forum.

The sharing continued at the HR Tech Group's May meeting where we had fun co-presenting "Playing in the Global Talent Market: Recruitment and Immigration Insights

Learning

And in the never-ending need for on-going professional development, we attended the annual BC HRMA Conference, learning and refreshing our knowledge on the latest developments in HR. We also attended the June CAPIC seminar to learn and refresh on the world of Canadian Immigration. And because image and etiquette are so important, we also attended the Image Builders' Summer Polish lunch and learn on summer dress codes and behaving ourselves at summer events.

Think Ahead

Summer School: Immigration Basics

This workshop unravels the mysteries and intricacies of Canadian Immigration. The Immigration Basics workshop has been designed to cover the theoretical and the practical, giving you enough information to be knowledgeable, but not overwhelmed.  The focus is enabling you to take control of your company’s immigration needs by building this expertise in-house.

Summer School: Relocation Basics

This workshop to tackles the complex and potentially mind-boggling world of Relocation. We’ll look at the 3 P’s of developing a killer relocation program – from Philosophy to Policy to how it works In Practice. And then we’ll turn the tables and look at it from the candidate’s perspective to make sure you’re prepared to answer their tough questions.

Fall Forecast

This fun evening session will examine Fall's fashion trends and the latest in tech etiquette.

HR Consultants Roundtable

This roundtable group, designed for HR Consultants, will meet monthly to discuss the unique challenges specific to HR practitioners running their own small businesses. This first meeting will be a get-to-know you session and make plans for future roundtable topics.

CERC National Conference: Knowledge without Bounds

The annual CERC conference takes place in Calgary this year and will feature best HR practices for talent management. Expect plenty of networking and a keynote addresses from Preson Manning and Michael Kerr.

This edition of Think Tank comes courtesy of our guest editor, Emma-Lisa Raffo. Emma-Lisa is a Vancouver-area realtor specializing in condominiums. She's worked with many international buyers and is experienced at enhancing a property for re-sale.

Getting to know us...

We recently had the honour of being profiled in BC HRMA's HR Voice newsletter. Click here to read the interview.

Think Tank

Home Purchases around the World:
Comparing the purchase process in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the U.K. and Australia

by Emma-Lisa Raffo

When it comes to investing in real estate, not surprisingly, there is no international standard. Each country, province, territory or state can have its own set of rules, regulations and procedure.

Canada

In Canada, the acquisition of real property is usually assisted through a licensed Buyer Agent, although some still prefer to deal with the listing REALTOR®.

Typically, buyers will appoint an independent representative in order to ensure the purchase is made for fair market value and that their interests are protected. Buyer Agents in Canada have become increasingly popular with the laws of co-operation governing licensees’ dealings and regulating agent accountability. In Vancouver, where the current real estate market has been booming, hiring a Buyer Agent to negotiate in fierce multiple offers is almost a must.

The Offer: When a Contract to Purchase and Sale is successfully negotiated, all parties sign the agreement and are legally bound to its terms. Unlike other countries, in Canada once a transaction is ‘firm’, the buyer or seller cannot back out of the deal. Each party becomes legally obligated to see the contract through and adhere to the terms agreed upon.

At the end of the closing period, often referred to as ‘the closing’ or ‘completion’ in British Columbia, the title is transferred from the sellers and registered in the name of the new owner on the completion date. Both the buyer and seller are required to visit with their individual notary or lawyer to sign the statement of adjustments and other forms and paperwork associated with the transaction. If the buyer is securing financing to make the purchase, this is when the funds will be transferred and the mortgage activated.

A number of closing costs are associated with the purchase of a Canadian home, whether it be a house, condominium or other form or real estate. These include, but are not limited to, Property Transfer Tax (PTT), Government Sales Tax (GST), agent commissions, lender and lawyer fees, mortgage and property insurance, disbursements and other charges. Foreign buyers and sellers should be advised to discuss these costs with their agent upfront, before they begin the process of buying or selling their home.

The U.S.

Across the border in the US, the procedure of buying and selling real estate is quite similar to Canada; sellers and buyers can employ independent representation in the form of a Listing Agent or Buyer’s Agent or simply work with the Listing Agent to facilitate the sale. However, the sequence of events nearing completion varies from state to state, East to West.

...read the rest of the article by following this link...