Date: 20100907
Docket: IMM-6489-09
Citation: 2010 FC 879
Ottawa, Ontario, September 7, 2010
PRESENT: The Honourable Mr. Justice O'Reilly
BETWEEN:
RIMANTA
KISELUS
Applicant
and
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP
AND IMMIGRATION
Respondent
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT AND JUDGMENT
I.
Overview
[1]
Ms.
Rimanta Kiselus came to Canada in 2009 under the terms of a Working
Holiday Program between Canada and Latvia. She began working as a
sales associate at Shoppers Drug Mart, but was promoted to the position of
retail supervisor after just a few months. Shoppers offered her indeterminate
employment if she became a permanent resident of Canada.
[2]
Ms.
Kiselus applied for permanent residence but an immigration officer determined
that she was not eligible to make an application. Ms. Kiselus maintains that
the officer unreasonably dismissed her application and, in doing so,
misconstrued the applicable Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations,
SOR/2002-227. She asks me to order another officer to reconsider her
application.
[3]
I
cannot find any basis to overturn the officer’s decision and must, therefore,
dismiss this application for judicial review. The sole question is whether the
officer’s decision was unreasonable.
II. The Officer’s
Decision
[4]
The
officer told Ms. Kiselus that “there is insufficient evidence on file that the
type of work permit you hold meets the requirements of R82(2)a or the exemption
requirements of R82(2)b.” The officer was referring to s. 82(2)(a) of
the Regulations which requires a determination by an officer that the
applicant’s employment “would be likely to result in a neutral or positive
effect on the labour market in Canada” (relevant provisions of the Regulations
are set out in Annex “A”). As the officer noted, this requirement does not
apply in the circumstances described in s. 82(2)(b) of the Regulations,
including where the applicant has been provided a work permit in Canada under
an international agreement recognized under s. 204(a) of the
Regulations. The officer did not consider the Canada-Latvia Working Holiday
Program to be an eligible international agreement.
(1) Was the
Officer’s Decision Unreasonable?
[5]
Ms.
Kiselus submits that the officer’s conclusion was unreasonable because,
obviously, the Canada-Latvia Working Holiday Program is an “international
agreement”. She concedes that Ministerial Guidelines suggest that the Program
falls under another provision of the Regulations – s. 205(b) – which
applies to reciprocal employment programs which, unlike agreements under s. 204(a),
are not exempt from the requirement for a labour market analysis. However, she
maintains that the Regulations must prevail over the Guidelines.
[6]
In
my view, the officer’s conclusion was not unreasonable. Obviously, there is
some overlap between “international agreements” and “reciprocal employment”
programs. But the Guidelines help distinguish between them.
[7]
The
Guidelines refer to “international agreements” in such areas as civil aviation,
international free-trade, emergency services, and so on. This is clearly
intended to be a broad, general category of arrangements.
[8]
By
contrast, the Guidelines describe International Youth Programs - bilateral,
reciprocal arrangements – that enable persons between the ages of 18 and 35 to
work temporarily in the respective countries who are parties to the agreement.
Ms. Kiselus’s original visa was issued pursuant to this type of youth exchange
program.
[9]
Accordingly,
the reciprocal programs referred to in s. 205(b) appear to be particular
category of the international agreements to which the requirement in s. 82(2)(a)
for a labour market analysis applies. The officer’s conclusion that Ms. Kiselus’s
program fell within that category was not unreasonable in the circumstances.
III. Conclusion
and Disposition
[10]
In
light of the regulatory scheme and the applicable guidelines, I cannot conclude
that the officer’s finding that Ms. Kiselus was ineligible to apply for
permanent residence was unreasonable. I must, therefore, dismiss this
application for judicial review. No question of general importance arises for
certification.
JUDGMENT
THIS COURT’S JUDGMENT IS
that
1.
The
application for judicial review is dismissed.
2.
No
question of general importance is stated.
“James
W. O’Reilly”
Annex “A”
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Immigration
and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227
Definition — arranged employment
Arranged
employment (10 points)
82.
(2) Ten points shall be awarded to a skilled worker for arranged employment
in Canada in an occupation that is listed in Skill Type 0 Management Occupations
or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification
matrix if they are able to perform and are likely to accept and carry out the
employment and
(a)
the skilled worker is in Canada and holds a work permit
and
(i)
there has been a determination by an officer under section 203 that the
performance of the employment by the skilled worker would be likely to result
in a neutral or positive effect on the labour market in Canada,
(ii) the
skilled worker is currently working in that employment,
(iii)
the work permit is valid at the time an application is made by the skilled
worker for a permanent resident visa as well as at the time the permanent
resident visa, if any, is issued to the skilled worker, and
(iv) the
employer has made an offer to employ the skilled worker on an indeterminate
basis once the permanent resident visa is issued to the skilled worker;
(b)
the skilled worker is in Canada and holds a work permit referred to in
paragraph 204(a) or 205(a) or subparagraph 205(c)(ii)
and the circumstances referred to in subparagraphs (a)(ii) to (iv)
apply;
International
agreements
204. A work permit may be
issued under section 200 to a foreign national who intends to perform work
pursuant to
(a) an international
agreement between Canada and one or more countries,
other than an agreement concerning seasonal agricultural workers;
Canadian interests
205.
A work permit may be issued under section 200 to a foreign national who
intends to perform work that
[…]
(b)
would create or maintain reciprocal employment of Canadian citizens or
permanent residents of Canada in other countries;
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Règlement sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés (DORS/2002-227)
Définition : emploi réservé
Emploi réservé (10 points)
82. (2) Dix points sont attribués au travailleur
qualifié pour un emploi réservé appartenant aux genre de compétence 0 Gestion
ou niveaux de compétences A ou B de la matrice de la Classification
nationale des professions, s’il est en mesure d’exercer les fonctions de
l’emploi et s’il est vraisemblable qu’il acceptera de les exercer, et que
l’un des alinéas suivants s’applique :
a)
le travailleur qualifié se trouve au Canada, il est titulaire d’un permis de
travail et les conditions suivantes sont réunies :
(i)
l’agent a conclu, au titre de l’article 203, que l’exécution du travail par
le travailleur qualifié est susceptible d’entraîner des effets positifs ou
neutres sur le marché du travail canadien,
(ii) le
travailleur qualifié occupe actuellement cet emploi réservé,
(iii) le
permis de travail est valide au moment de la présentation de la demande de
visa de résident permanent et au moment de la délivrance du visa de résident
permanent, le cas échéant,
(iv)
l’employeur a présenté au travailleur qualifié une offre d’emploi d’une durée
indéterminée sous réserve de la délivrance du visa de résident permanent;
b)
le travailleur qualifié se trouve au Canada, il est titulaire du permis de
travail visé aux alinéas 204a) ou 205a) ou au sous-alinéa 205c)(ii)
et les conditions visées aux sous-alinéas a)(ii) à (iv) sont réunies;
Accords
internationaux
204.
Un permis de travail peut être délivré à l’étranger en vertu de l’article 200
si le travail pour lequel le permis est demandé est visé par :
a)
un accord international conclu entre le
Canada et un ou plusieurs pays, à l’exclusion d’un accord concernant les
travailleurs agricoles saisonniers;
Intérêts canadiens
205. Un permis de travail peut être délivré à
l’étranger en vertu de l’article 200 si le travail pour lequel le permis est
demandé satisfait à l’une ou l’autre des conditions suivantes :
…
b)
il permet de créer ou de conserver l’emploi réciproque de citoyens canadiens
ou de résidents permanents du Canada dans d’autres pays;
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