ETA Canada News

As the number of immigration-related cases filed in federal court last year hit the highest level in the past 30 years, some lawyers pointed to the chronic backlog of immigration documents as a sign that the current system’s limitations were being exposed.

According to federal court statistics, as of the end of last year, more than 70 percent of federal court cases were immigration and refugee cases.

Immigration-related cases jumped from 6,424 in 2020 to 13,487 in 2022, according to the Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Paul Crampton.

Currently, the Department of Immigration backlogs over 1 million immigration applications.

Immigration lawyers say the surge in cases filed in federal courts is a result of the Department of Immigration’s delays and denials in the immigration process.

According to Barbara Jackman, an immigration lawyer in Toronto, people are getting tired of the lengthy processing times for immigration applications of all types, including permanent residency.

“I think it’s partly due to the coronavirus,” he said.

“As many cases are being handled at once, rejection cases are increasing, and more lawsuits are being filed in response,” Jackman said.

Ottawa immigration attorney Jacqueline Bonistel suspects an increase in Mandamus applications, asking the Department of Immigration to expedite processing of immigration applications, is driving the surge in immigration-related cases in the courts.

‘Mandamus’ is a court ordering a government agency to carry out a specific task as an obligation under the law and is called a ‘duty execution order’ in Korean. The Mandamus application is submitted to the Department of Immigration to request processing results when the applicant is well past the reasonably expected processing timeline.

Bonisteel said these mandamus applications are an increasingly common last resort.

Currently, there are more than 2 million immigration applications (including backlogs) pending with the Federal Immigration Department.

Meanwhile, the Department of Immigration said it processed more than 5.2 million permanent and temporary resident and citizenship applications in 2022 alone, nearly doubling the previous year.

EMBLEM, Canada’s fastest growing and award-winning real estate construction company, has announced the opening of a new community called ALLURE in downtown Toronto.

The high-rise 43-story tower at the coveted King Street address adds an iconic new look to Toronto’s skyline. The building offers 509 tastefully crafted condo units, making an enviable downtown presence. There are no shortcuts in this building. This is because the high-end lifestyle is carefully built without any gaps to suit anyone’s needs.

Building on a vibrant and evolving local backdrop, the Allure community will further fuel the downtown’s expanding energy. For this reason, the famous emblem, which is excellent in design and creates a stunning building in a special area, is creating a sensation in Toronto.

Emblem Founder and President Kash Pashootan had this to say about Allure’s development: “Toronto stands tall alongside world-class cities like New York and London. Allure is an invaluable building for those who want a variety of different lifestyles. Isn’t King Street the center of it? There is no place like it.” Pashootan went on to explain, “Allure’s location caters to both the heat and quiet of downtown. Monumental buildings like this are rare. An ideal building in an ideal location would be a very rare condo that not only gives downtown energy, but also offers the perfect balance of life in terms of maintaining quiet privacy.”

Emblem contracted with IBI Group, a global architectural firm, to bring their vision to life by creating a luxurious and distinctive new landmark in Toronto where the past and the future coexist.

Allure’s eight-story façade (extruded facade design) has a subtle gray brick pattern that perfectly matches the surrounding atmosphere. Allure has already been recommended as a notable venue and will attract many well-known retailers. The thin and long material shaft provides a lighter and more sophisticated aesthetic, reducing the weight of the tower and drawing attention to the corner of the building. The allure stretches high, extending towards the sky, with a lively streetscape in the distance as a backdrop. The way the old and the new easily coexist is the achievement of Allure Design.

Allure is in the Market Drive mixed-use area and is connected to some of Toronto’s best amenities, providing everything from work to entertainment. From the city’s best location, including sports venues, shopping and dining, and the Distralli District, it’s just a few minutes’ walk to the waterfront and the newly expanded St. Lawrence Market (construction due summer 2023). When people gather here, they can’t help but love all the unique and attractive King Street environments. With walking and biking scores (100 and 98 respectively), the neighborhood’s unprecedented accessibility, it’s clear that this is a convenient area.

Allure residents will enjoy living in a community with a convenience score of 100, meaning the openness of having the entire city right on their doorstep. With the streetcar just a minute from the front door, residents will have unrestricted access to the city’s comprehensive transit system, and Toronto’s new light rail, the Ontario Line, will soon open as a major east-west link. With service every 90 seconds, everywhere is easily accessible.

Of course, if residents want a refined and luxurious ride, one of Allure’s premium amenities is readily available – Rolls-Royce chauffeur service. This exclusive service allows residents to travel conveniently in a custom-built Allure Rolls-Royce. This is just the beginning of the vast array of top-notch amenities available here with the highest premium level of service available at Allure. “A special life awaits.”

Step inside the Allure interior and its elegance takes your breath away. The work of Burdifilek, an interior design firm acclaimed for its artistic design sensibilities, the building exudes sophistication with a serene atmosphere. The spatial construction with the special texture of achromatic tones further highlights Allure’s sense of artistry. Supporting Burdifilek’s approach, Shamil Jiwani, Vice President of Emblem Construction, said, “Allure is trendy, but with a timeless sophistication. Each space is sensuous, space efficiency is considered, and every element is designed to ensure functionality. It was designed with care.”

This design has been considered throughout the building, boasting noble and exceptional finishes designed with meticulous care in each suite and amenities. This meticulous design has had an immeasurable impact in every space based on prudence. In this way, Allure’s curated amenities have a maximum focus on providing everything the space needs. There is nothing that hinders space efficiency by boldly excluding unnecessary things. With exceptional and unparalleled amenities such as white glove service, Allure residents enjoy exceptional comfort. Whether you want to relax with a massage in our private spa massage parlor, take care of the kids in our children’s playroom, use our expansive indoor and outdoor gym, or meet your fitness goals for good health in our cycle studio, Allure offers you unparalleled convenience. It’s a charming community around it.

Emblem Construction is one of the fastest-growing real estate construction companies in the GTA, focusing on high-rise residential development. Emblem is proud to have been recognized by prestigious organizations in the architecture industry, winning multiple awards for developing the best living spaces for residents and communities. Emblem’s current portfolio consists of more than 4,500 residential developments representing a value of $3.6 billion.

Average price of 1 bed in February is $2,500 a 21.5% increase from the previous year.

The rise in Toronto’s monthly rent does not seem to stop.

According to data released on the 13th by Urbanation, a real estate market analysis company, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom in Toronto rose to $2,501 in February and $3,314 for a two-bedroom in Toronto.

One-bedroom monthly rent increased by 21.5% and two-bedroom monthly rent by 19.4% compared to the same period last year.

The report analyzed that one-bedroom monthly rent exceeds 30% of household income of less than $100,000 per year, and that Toronto renters continue to face financial pressure.

However, the Korean real estate industry predicted that the current market atmosphere has slowed down and that it will not be disadvantageous to tenants in the future.

On the 14th, Royal LePage broker Kim Hyeon-jae said, “Data-based real estate analysis data covers the situation from one or two months ago, so it is late to reflect the real-time market situation.” “As of March, except for some areas, Toronto overall “The demand and supply in the rental market are balancing.”

Broker Kim also questioned the prospect that the rent increase would continue into this year.

“I don’t think the rent will fall easily,” said Sean Hildebrand, chairman of Urbanation.

He said that except for some areas, such as North York, where the supply of new homes is low, the price increase in the Toronto rental market peaked in December last year and has been slowly stabilizing.

Broker Kim said, “32,000 units of condos have been completed in GTA this year alone, so the supply is quite large.

Beginning in the 2024 school year, students entering ninth grade must take the “Technical Education Credit” course.

Ontario Education Minister Steven Leche said at a recent press conference that the curriculum would help prepare students for skilled labor jobs.

Students may choose one subject of their choice from classes approved through the Technical Education Curriculum. Areas of education include construction, transportation, manufacturing, computer technology, and telecommunications. Details of the curriculum will be released later.

Education Ministry officials said that more than 70 percent of skilled workers are male, and they hope that by including technical training as a compulsory course, more women will be able to explore jobs in the tech sector.

The announcement comes days after Ontario launched a new program that would allow 11th grade students to earn a high school diploma while apprenticing.

According to the Patient Ombudsman’s annual report released on Tuesday, 3,306 complaints about the Ontario health system were received in the past fiscal year, particularly in Toronto and Northern Ontario.

This is a slight decrease from 3,595 cases in the previous fiscal year when Corona was rampant, but still a high number of complaints compared to 2,470 cases in the previous fiscal year.

More than 60% of the complaints received were complaints about public hospital services, 10% about long-term care homes in Ontario and the rest about other health facilities. According to the report, most of the complaints received were about poor access to treatment and lack of medical staff.

Among the patients and guardians surveyed, the number of respondents who responded that they were “treated with a lack of sensitivity and respect” increased by 43% from the previous year, and these complaints were particularly concentrated in the emergency room. Patients complained of frustration with long waiting times and poor communication about their complaints.

In addition, 98 complaints related to hospital security personnel were received, some of which claimed that “hospital security personnel used inappropriate and unsafe methods to restrain victims that could result in injury or death.” Most of the friction with the guards was focused on the emergency room and the mental health ward.

The Patient Ombudsman analyzed the reasons for the increase in complaints as a shortage of medical personnel, delays in regulations and services due to COVID-19, and fatigue and trauma from the epidemic.

Meanwhile, in the report, a case in which the family died in the emergency room after two days without being able to go up to the hospital room in a situation where the family could not enter together due to corona, a case in which a family member waiting for treatment from outside was not notified of death for several hours after death, and a case of hematuria. There were also cases of elderly people who had to wait for 9 hours to receive antibiotics after visiting the hospital because of the disease.

A surge in Canadians borrowing money to buy homes has warned of a possible default domino effect.

Ontario’s private mortgage market grew 72% from $13 billion in 2019 to $22.4 billion in 2021, according to a report recently released by the Ontario Financial Supervisory Service (FSRA).

In this regard, the Korean mortgage brokerage industry also agreed that the proportion of Koreans using private loans to purchase houses has increased significantly.

Jung-wook, CEO of Huntington Mortgage, explained, “Recently, 3 to 4 out of 10 customers are using private loans. However, private loans are not well recognized in Korea because of their dark side, but not to that extent in Canada.”

He emphasized, “The majority of customers who use private bonds are forced to use them because their mortgage loans are rejected by large banks,” he said.

Citing some mortgage industry insiders, the daily Toronto Star warned, “About 20% of Ontario’s mortgages are operated through private moneylenders.” did.

“It is true that the demand for private bonds has increased,” said a mortgage broker. “However, while recent regulatory agencies have strengthened the qualifications of mortgage brokers who handle private bonds, private debt borrowers also tend to avoid lending if the loan-to-household ratio is too high.” he said.

He said, “In the case of Koreans, the willingness to repay loans is exceptional, so the probability of default in the Korean community is low.”

On the other hand, among general mortgage borrowers, there is a high voice that default will increase. According to the Canadian Bankers Association, as of November 2022, 0.07% of 2.2 million mortgage holders were unable to make payments.

Experts estimate that if the number of defaulters increases to the 0.6% level, 13,203 mortgage defaults per month.

It was predicted that this could have a major impact on the real estate market.

Hundreds of Ontario nurses took to the streets demanding better treatment.

On the 2nd, union members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association held a large-scale street march in downtown Toronto and held a rally in the Ontario Council in Queens Park.

They are demanding more staff and higher wages.

The nurses union, which represents 68,000 RNs, has been negotiating with the Ontario Hospital Association, which represents 140 hospitals, on treatment improvement since the end of January, but the disagreement has not been narrowed.

If an agreement cannot be reached through mediation, an arbitrator will intervene in early May.

The nurses’ union criticized the Ontario government’s 2018 law to limit salary increases for civil servants for causing a serious shortage of medical personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the backlash from nurses intensified, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said, “We will continue to replenish the number of nurses and there are enough prospective nurses currently studying.”

However, the opposition party raised its voice, saying, “The government’s words and actions, which have taken measures to raise the annual salary of public officials by 1% for three years, are different.”

As early as June, new Canadian citizens will be able to swear themselves in without a judge.

The Canadian Gazette, a federal government agency, recently reported that as one of the plans to modernize the immigration process, it is discussing a plan to reorganize the citizenship oath so that applicants can proceed on their own.

This kind of attempt is to improve the immigration screening backlog that has been exacerbated through the pandemic. As the government’s various administrative processes were paralyzed due to the corona crisis, there were situations in which those who passed the citizenship test could not take the oath ceremony.

The Federal Immigration Department expects that the waiting time will be reduced by about three months if the oath ceremony is liberalized.

Currently, citizenship ceremonies are held face-to-face or non-face-to-face on weekdays or Saturdays. However, many applicants feel burdened when the oath ceremony is held during weekday working hours.

According to the 2021 census, only 45.7% of permanent residents obtained citizenship within 10 years. This is a steady decline compared to 75.1% in 2001 and 60% in 2016, showing that citizenship is waning in popularity.

However, some argue that the citizenship ceremony is not a simple event, but a milestone for a sense of belonging and commitment to Canada, and that the autonomous ceremony undermines the value of citizenship.

In Ontario, where rents are skyrocketing, landlords filing for evictions have surged in the past three years.

More than 5,550 tenant eviction applications were received in Ontario last year, according to the Landlord and Tenant Dispute Resolution Board. This is a 41% increase from 2019.

In Ontario, you can evict a tenant if the landlord or the landlord’s immediate family intends to live directly in the unit being rented.

This phenomenon was notable outside of Toronto. In Toronto, the city’s own data showed little change but a 59% jump in the rest of the region.

In response, the Tenants’ Rights Advocacy Group points out that the surge in eviction applications is no accident, as landlords can get higher prices if they rent to new tenants.

Ontario sets an upper limit on rent increases to protect tenants. Because of this policy, landlords cannot arbitrarily raise rents from existing tenants. The maximum rate increase allowed this year is 2.5%.

However, once a home has been vacated, landlords often apply for an eviction order because they or their families live in it because they can demand rent from new tenants at the market rate regardless of these restrictions.

“It’s hard to believe that there has been a sudden increase in landlords trying to move into homes they’ve rented in the past three years,” said Benjamin Reese, executive director of South Etobicco Community Legal Services. It should have made a profit.”

Even if they believe the landlord’s eviction motion is unreasonable, tenants must personally prove that the landlord does not intend to live in it, and resolving disputes is costly and time consuming.

On the other hand, rents are soaring every year due to chronic housing shortage in Ontario. According to rental analysis site Rentals.ca, the average monthly rent for a two-bed in Toronto has risen 17% over the past year to about $3,200.

As low-cost airlines have increased domestic flights in recent years, consumers have a wider range of choices.

Compared to existing large airlines, low-cost airlines must pay additional fees for checked baggage, seat selection, and in-flight services, but their low basic fares are attractive.

Low-cost airlines have relatively limited seating space, but some passengers say it’s worth the price.

Compared to major airlines, the cancellation rate is also low. However, it is cited as a weakness that these low-cost airlines do not have adequate financial resources to quickly deal with problems when various problems arise.

At the end of last year, hundreds of people were stranded in Cancun, Mexico, when flights with local low-cost airline Sunwing were canceled due to bad weather. Earlier in April, Sunwing had to hand-write boarding passes for all passengers due to computer paralysis.

According to domestic air passenger protection regulations, some travel insurance plans cover hotel accommodations and other expenses in case of unexpected flight delays or cancellations, but the amount of compensation is less for small budget airlines than for major airlines.

For this reason, for everyday trips such as family visits, low-cost airlines can be a good alternative in terms of cost savings, but for important trips, you need to carefully examine the conditions of the airlines first.

In terms of safety, this is not a major concern as all airlines are subject to the same standards.