WES Blog

Below are the latest immigration updates from the United States and Canada. Topics include: Ontario invites tech-savvy immigrants to apply for residency. Canada also seeks migrant workers with experience in “agri-food.”  College tuition costs have reached an all-time high in the U.S. The White House is fighting academic espionage with new defense bill. Read on […]

Pursuing a degree in the United States is expensive. That is well known if you already live in the country—but the steep costs of higher education can be especially prohibitive for international students. WES Advisor spoke with Maureen Klovers, Director of Social Impact at MPOWER Financing, about some of the financial challenges that international students […]

Starting July 16, it will be harder than ever for refugees to seek asylum in the United States. On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would be changing the Immigration and Nationality Act. He planned to do this by filing an Interim Final Rule (which is like an executive order). That means it […]

Quebec has just announced a new process to help immigrants achieve permanent residency. It’s free to start your application, and you can complete the process in three steps. When the government adopted the new system (by passing a proposal known as “Bill 9”), it voided 16,000 existing residency applications. Therefore, applicants who may have already […]

Below are the latest immigration updates from the United States and Canada. Topics include: ICE raids fail to meet expectations in the U.S. Trump: Chinese students are welcome in the U.S. Canadian recruiters scam students out of thousands of dollars. Quebec introduces new, faster residency application process. Read on for more about each of these […]

Antonnet Botha is a Senior Training & Events Development Coordinator at WES. Part of her immigration journey involved coping with depression. When she first came to the United States, Antonnet found herself feeling lonely and homesick. While pursuing her master’s degree, she had to figure out how to take care of her mental health so […]

In 2016, thousands of Syrian refugees entered Canada, hoping to find safety and stability in a new country. Nearly all had been forced to leave Syria with few, if any, personal belongings. Many had lost their homes, their possessions, and, in some cases, family members and friends. Immigrating to Canada would prove bittersweet. Most were […]

Louisville Forward is Louisville, Kentucky’s innovative economic development organization. The Louisville team met Canada’s Windmill Microlending at the 2018 Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) in Toronto. Windmill, a charitable microloan program for immigrants and refugees, was featured as a model for US organizations seeking new ways to integrate skilled immigrants. Windmill loans are offered to […]

Deborah Deperio is a WES Ambassador who faced a difficult decision when she immigrated to the United States: Which type of school should she attend, a community college or a university? In this blog post, she describes the process of making this important choice—while knowing that it would impact her future as an immigrant in […]

In June WES Global Talent Bridge, its national partners, and the community cohorts in the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program (SIIP) participated in a working cross-border conference in Toronto. The delegates exchanged experiences and learned from each other and Canadian models, including mentorship programs, employer engagement, round table collaboration, and microlending. Canadian participating partners included: Cities […]

The United States offers a serious advantage over other study abroad destinations: It offers Optional Practical Training (OPT) to international students who have completed one full year of academic study in the U.S. OPT means that new graduates may begin to accumulate paid work experience in their field. After graduation, they can stay in the […]

Below are the latest immigration updates from the United States and Canada. Topics include: The U.S. is denying H-1B visas to top international employers. Chaos at the U.S.-Mexico border leads to leadership change. U.S. loses competitive edge among the world’s best colleges and universities. Canada is home to more resettled refugees than any other nation […]

Below are the latest immigration updates from the United States and Canada. Topics include: President Trump orders, then delays, ICE raids (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Trump cuts aid funding to Central American countries over border crisis. China extradition bill may send many Hong Kong residents to Canada. New rural immigration program provides jobs for migrants […]

If you are planning to study abroad, your success can be greatly affected by your choice of college roommate. This person can become a friend, study partner, and away-from-home support system. They can also become a distraction, a nuisance, or a daily source of stress. Below, WES Ambassador Nana Konadu Owusu discusses what to ask […]

The 2019 Skilled Immigrant Integration Project convening in Toronto. Photos by Anthony Castro   At a three-day conference in Toronto earlier this month, WES Global Talent Bridge and its national partners hosted representatives from all of the eight 2019 community cohorts in the Skilled Immigrant Integration Program, as well as representatives from some of the […]

Less than six months after she graduated from New Women New Yorkers’ LEAD training series, Jiar Fong received a job offer.   New Women New Yorkers has been serving immigrant women in New York City since 2015. LEAD, our flagship, free workforce development program, begins with a series of eight job readiness workshops, providing our […]

Sulaf Al-Shaikhly has a unique immigration story. She was born in New York, then moved to Iraq at age 6. Sulaf earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science. She went on to give lectures and train students. But Sulaf’s career came to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of the Iraq War. She […]

Reginald “Reggie” McDade is the recruiting and community relations manager at TPI Composites in Newton, Iowa. TPI, which manufactures wind blades for the high-growth wind energy market, is the largest employer in Jasper County, Iowa. The company also has facilities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as well as in Mexico, Europe, and Asia. In a […]

Newcomer Day 2019. Photo by Ramón Vasconcelos / New Horizons Media Inc.   Every year the number of newcomers entering Canada rises. Toronto welcomes the majority of them. According to Statistic Canada, “In 2016, Canada had 1,212,075 new immigrants who had permanently settled in Canada from 2011 to 2016.” Of that number, the city of […]

Below are the latest immigration updates from the United States and Canada. Topics include: Canadian immigration employment rates reach new high in 2018. Canada’s Global Skills Strategy program recruits workers from the U.S. Report proves it is still smart to go to college in the United States. Are bad attitudes toward immigrants hurting the economy? […]