Human Trafficking is not a "problem," it's a crime. Here's a blog addressing these issues.
http://blog.thea21campaign.org/?p=175
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
8-Year-Old Girl, Raises $30K From Lemonade Stand To Fight Human Trafficking
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/20/vivienne-harr_n_1811931.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Crime
Vivienne Harr, 8-Year-Old Girl, Raises $30K From Lemonade Stand To Fight Human Trafficking (VIDEO)
| Posted: 08/20/2012 12:38 pm Updated: 08/20/2012 4:51 pm
This article comes to us courtesy of SF Weekly.
By Erin Sherbert
While you all have been lazily basking in the sun this summer, this 8-year-old girl has been working her tail off to change the world, one lemon at a time.
In the northern city of Fairfax, Vivienne Harr has spent the last 57 days of her summer vacation turning lemons into lemonade -- literally. She's been selling the sweet refreshing beverage with plans to use all her proceeds to fight human trafficking across the world.
As of Saturday afternoon, the young entrepreneuer had already earned more than $30k at her makeshift business, which she appropriately dubbed Make-A-Stand! Lemonade: The Sweet Taste of Freedom.
She plans to keep selling lemonade until she raises $150,000, using only fair trade lemons, of course. '
"And it's really hard to find fair-trade things. I mean, we're buying fair trade things because, I mean, you can't be freeing slaves and having them to work harder for the cause that you're trying to do to help them be free," Harr told reporters.
Initially, she was charging $2 per cup of lemonade (rasberries optional) but as business boomed, she decided to leave it up to her customers to pay whatever they wanted to in exchange for a delightful glass of lemonade.
"We're betting on the goodness of people, and we found that the average price went up $18 when we made it free," her dad said. "We said, 'Pay what's in your heart.'"
Every dime is going to the Half Moon Bay-based nonprofit called Not For Sale, whose mission is to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery around the world.
If you can't make your way up to Fairfax to buy a cup of lemonade, feel free to kick in for Vivienne's cause here.
You can also read about Vivienne's experience in her own words. Here's a few excepts:
For more on Vivienne's story, watch the ABC News video below:
Follow SF Weekly on Twitter for more San Francisco news.
Vivienne Harr, 8-Year-Old Girl, Raises $30K From Lemonade Stand To Fight Human Trafficking (VIDEO)
| Posted: 08/20/2012 12:38 pm Updated: 08/20/2012 4:51 pm
This article comes to us courtesy of SF Weekly.
By Erin Sherbert
While you all have been lazily basking in the sun this summer, this 8-year-old girl has been working her tail off to change the world, one lemon at a time.
In the northern city of Fairfax, Vivienne Harr has spent the last 57 days of her summer vacation turning lemons into lemonade -- literally. She's been selling the sweet refreshing beverage with plans to use all her proceeds to fight human trafficking across the world.
As of Saturday afternoon, the young entrepreneuer had already earned more than $30k at her makeshift business, which she appropriately dubbed Make-A-Stand! Lemonade: The Sweet Taste of Freedom.
She plans to keep selling lemonade until she raises $150,000, using only fair trade lemons, of course. '
"And it's really hard to find fair-trade things. I mean, we're buying fair trade things because, I mean, you can't be freeing slaves and having them to work harder for the cause that you're trying to do to help them be free," Harr told reporters.
Initially, she was charging $2 per cup of lemonade (rasberries optional) but as business boomed, she decided to leave it up to her customers to pay whatever they wanted to in exchange for a delightful glass of lemonade.
"We're betting on the goodness of people, and we found that the average price went up $18 when we made it free," her dad said. "We said, 'Pay what's in your heart.'"
Every dime is going to the Half Moon Bay-based nonprofit called Not For Sale, whose mission is to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery around the world.
If you can't make your way up to Fairfax to buy a cup of lemonade, feel free to kick in for Vivienne's cause here.
You can also read about Vivienne's experience in her own words. Here's a few excepts:
For more on Vivienne's story, watch the ABC News video below:
Follow SF Weekly on Twitter for more San Francisco news.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Florida Safe Houses for Victims of Human Trafficking
DCF Prepares To Help Child Victims of Human Trafficking
http://news.wfsu.org/post/dcf-prepares-help-child-victims-human-trafficking
By SASCHA CORDNER
Listen
00:56
Every year, millions of children become human trafficking victims. But, when they’re taken in by law enforcement, it’s not an uncommon practice to place these victims within the criminal justice system. And, to combat that practice, Florida’s child welfare agency is preparing to implement a new law by next year that will help the trafficking victims.
The plan is to get enough safe houses built across the state for child victims of human trafficking, who are brought in by law enforcement officers. Before the “Florida Safe Harbor Act,” it wasn’t uncommon for law enforcement to arrest the victims and take them to detention centers. The state’s Department of Children and Families is tasked with the plan’s implementation, and the department’s Gilda Ferradaz says it’s in the beginning stages.
“For now, the short-term safe house that we’re in the process of establishing only has six beds,". said Ferradaz. "So, a big part of what we’re doing is trying to identify other placement options, such as group homes, and provide training for staff that will be specifically geared toward dealing with this population.”
The department also created six workgroups to look into legal and funding issues, training for law enforcement, and setting up facilities and treatment programs. The law takes effect January 1st.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Home-grown human trafficking: Nurses on the frontlines help in identifying victims
http://news.nurse.com/article/20120813/SC01/108130062
Home-grown human trafficking: Nurses on the frontlines help in identifying victims
By Heather Stringer
Monday August 13, 2012
Patricia Crane, RN
Ellen LoCascio, RN, BSN, CEN, knew something was amiss when a female patient said she was 24 years old and the middle-aged man accompanying her was her spouse. The girl looked about 15, and the pair lacked any signs of intimacy typical for married couples. The girl had come to an ED at a hospital in Southwest Florida four years ago because she was suffering from abdominal pain, but strangely, she was cheerful and chatty — as if she were playing a role, according to LoCascio. Then the couple disappeared before LoCascio could return to the room with the discharge papers.
In hindsight, LoCascio suspects the girl may have been a victim of human trafficking. At the time, it seemed hard to imagine this type of abuse was a problem in the U.S. But a second similar incident motivated LoCascio to start asking nurse and law enforcement experts about the issue.
Rita Hall, RN
According to the United Nations, human trafficking involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means for the purpose of exploiting them. Data from a 2011 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics suggests this modern-day form of slavery is thriving in the U.S. According to the report, federally funded task forces opened cases investigating more than 2,500 suspected incidents of human trafficking between January 2008 and June 2010, and about 82% of these incidents were classified as sex trafficking. Florida and Texas are among the top four states in the nation with the highest number of reports regarding potential cases of human trafficking, according to 2011 data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, based on the number of calls to its hotline.
Although it may seem difficult to help victims who often are hidden from the public eye, these people may surface when they seek medical treatment. "The most important thing is be aware that human trafficking exists," said Lisa Creamer, RN, BSN, assistant director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. "If you don’t recognize that it exists, you won’t recognize it when you see the signs. As nurses, we can ask questions and watch for behaviors that give us clues that someone is being forced to do something they don’t want to do."
Though a victim of human trafficking may come to the ED for a variety of reasons, some of the most common are for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infectious diseases, said Patricia Crane, RN, MSN, PhD, WHNP-BC, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston. Crane educates healthcare providers nationally and internationally about how to identify and help victims of human trafficking. Infectious diseases are common because many of the victims are trapped in unsanitary, crowded living conditions, she said.
"Some of the signs to watch for are people who cannot answer the questions you ask, have no driver’s license or wallet and cannot be separated from the person with them," Crane said. "It’s also a red flag if you keep asking the patient questions but the person with them answers."
Ellen LoCascio, RN
LoCascio, an ICU and ED nurse in the Lee Memorial Health System in Florida, believes it is critical for nurses to use their assessment skills to discern whether the story matches reality. "The Tanner Staging method can help nurses determine whether a patient’s stated age is consistent with observed physical findings," she said. "Be observant about the dynamics between the patient and caregiver. Watch for a lack of concern for the patient that one would not expect from a family or support person."
When nurses suspect they might be treating a victim of human trafficking, one of the first barriers to overcome is separating the patient from the trafficker in the room, said Rita Hall, RN, MSN, SANE-A, SANE-P, ARNP, a clinical supervisor at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. "I might walk her to the bathroom alone, and that could give me a few seconds to ask her if she feels safe with the person who brought her or if anyone is forcing her to do things she doesn’t want to do," Hall said.
It also is important for nurses to notify the physician and social worker, LoCascio said. "Notify the provider about your suspicions because the doctor may have advanced skills to ascertain more information, and sometimes your suspicion alone might trigger another caregiver to go through a chart and find other clues."
While some victims may want help from medical caregivers, there also are many cases in which the victims do not want to change their situation, said Crane. She remembers a young woman in Texas who suffered from vaginal bleeding and infection because of long hours of sex work every day. She received free surgery for vaginal and anal tissue damage, and the staff at the hospital offered to help her escape her situation, but she would not reveal who the trafficker was. Within three weeks she returned to the trafficker, Crane said.
"For nurses, it is important to understand that it is not about us controlling the situation, but about helping people see that there is a way to get out when they are ready," Crane said. "These people are captives and feel controlled, so it is a slow process of building trust, and it may not happen in one visit. Let them know that they can come back."
Heather Stringer is a freelance writer. Post a comment below or email editorSouth@nurse.com.
Home-grown human trafficking: Nurses on the frontlines help in identifying victims
By Heather Stringer
Monday August 13, 2012
Patricia Crane, RN
Ellen LoCascio, RN, BSN, CEN, knew something was amiss when a female patient said she was 24 years old and the middle-aged man accompanying her was her spouse. The girl looked about 15, and the pair lacked any signs of intimacy typical for married couples. The girl had come to an ED at a hospital in Southwest Florida four years ago because she was suffering from abdominal pain, but strangely, she was cheerful and chatty — as if she were playing a role, according to LoCascio. Then the couple disappeared before LoCascio could return to the room with the discharge papers.
In hindsight, LoCascio suspects the girl may have been a victim of human trafficking. At the time, it seemed hard to imagine this type of abuse was a problem in the U.S. But a second similar incident motivated LoCascio to start asking nurse and law enforcement experts about the issue.
Rita Hall, RN
According to the United Nations, human trafficking involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through the use of force, coercion or other means for the purpose of exploiting them. Data from a 2011 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics suggests this modern-day form of slavery is thriving in the U.S. According to the report, federally funded task forces opened cases investigating more than 2,500 suspected incidents of human trafficking between January 2008 and June 2010, and about 82% of these incidents were classified as sex trafficking. Florida and Texas are among the top four states in the nation with the highest number of reports regarding potential cases of human trafficking, according to 2011 data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, based on the number of calls to its hotline.
Although it may seem difficult to help victims who often are hidden from the public eye, these people may surface when they seek medical treatment. "The most important thing is be aware that human trafficking exists," said Lisa Creamer, RN, BSN, assistant director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas. "If you don’t recognize that it exists, you won’t recognize it when you see the signs. As nurses, we can ask questions and watch for behaviors that give us clues that someone is being forced to do something they don’t want to do."
Though a victim of human trafficking may come to the ED for a variety of reasons, some of the most common are for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases or infectious diseases, said Patricia Crane, RN, MSN, PhD, WHNP-BC, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing in Galveston. Crane educates healthcare providers nationally and internationally about how to identify and help victims of human trafficking. Infectious diseases are common because many of the victims are trapped in unsanitary, crowded living conditions, she said.
"Some of the signs to watch for are people who cannot answer the questions you ask, have no driver’s license or wallet and cannot be separated from the person with them," Crane said. "It’s also a red flag if you keep asking the patient questions but the person with them answers."
Ellen LoCascio, RN
LoCascio, an ICU and ED nurse in the Lee Memorial Health System in Florida, believes it is critical for nurses to use their assessment skills to discern whether the story matches reality. "The Tanner Staging method can help nurses determine whether a patient’s stated age is consistent with observed physical findings," she said. "Be observant about the dynamics between the patient and caregiver. Watch for a lack of concern for the patient that one would not expect from a family or support person."
When nurses suspect they might be treating a victim of human trafficking, one of the first barriers to overcome is separating the patient from the trafficker in the room, said Rita Hall, RN, MSN, SANE-A, SANE-P, ARNP, a clinical supervisor at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. "I might walk her to the bathroom alone, and that could give me a few seconds to ask her if she feels safe with the person who brought her or if anyone is forcing her to do things she doesn’t want to do," Hall said.
It also is important for nurses to notify the physician and social worker, LoCascio said. "Notify the provider about your suspicions because the doctor may have advanced skills to ascertain more information, and sometimes your suspicion alone might trigger another caregiver to go through a chart and find other clues."
While some victims may want help from medical caregivers, there also are many cases in which the victims do not want to change their situation, said Crane. She remembers a young woman in Texas who suffered from vaginal bleeding and infection because of long hours of sex work every day. She received free surgery for vaginal and anal tissue damage, and the staff at the hospital offered to help her escape her situation, but she would not reveal who the trafficker was. Within three weeks she returned to the trafficker, Crane said.
"For nurses, it is important to understand that it is not about us controlling the situation, but about helping people see that there is a way to get out when they are ready," Crane said. "These people are captives and feel controlled, so it is a slow process of building trust, and it may not happen in one visit. Let them know that they can come back."
Heather Stringer is a freelance writer. Post a comment below or email editorSouth@nurse.com.
Friday, August 3, 2012
4 indicted in Ohio human-trafficking case
http://www.vindy.com/news/2012/aug/03/4-indicted-ohio-human-trafficking-case/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
4 indicted in Ohio human-trafficking case
CommentEmailPrint
Published: Fri, August 3, 2012 @ 8:55 a.m.
COLUMBUS (AP) — A newly formed task force to combat human trafficking in Ohio says an investigation has yielded its first four indictments.
The indictments out of Franklin County on Thursday accuse four people from Chillicothe with bringing a woman to Columbus under false pretenses and forcing her to have sex with more than a dozen men in motels over several days.
Two people were charged with trafficking in persons, rape, kidnapping and promoting prostitution. Two other suspects face similar charges but haven’t been arrested yet.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was formed in September. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said state law required its work remain confidential until the suspects were indicted.
DeWine said there could be more victims. The investigation is continuing.
4 indicted in Ohio human-trafficking case
CommentEmailPrint
Published: Fri, August 3, 2012 @ 8:55 a.m.
COLUMBUS (AP) — A newly formed task force to combat human trafficking in Ohio says an investigation has yielded its first four indictments.
The indictments out of Franklin County on Thursday accuse four people from Chillicothe with bringing a woman to Columbus under false pretenses and forcing her to have sex with more than a dozen men in motels over several days.
Two people were charged with trafficking in persons, rape, kidnapping and promoting prostitution. Two other suspects face similar charges but haven’t been arrested yet.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force was formed in September. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said state law required its work remain confidential until the suspects were indicted.
DeWine said there could be more victims. The investigation is continuing.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
21 women rescued from cop tasked to stop human trafficking
21 women rescued from cop tasked to stop human trafficking
By Julie S. Alipala
Inquirer Mindanaohttp://globalnation.inquirer.net/46227/21-women-rescued-from-cop-tasked-to-stop-human-trafficking?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
6:49 pm | Thursday, August 2nd, 2012
32 21
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The authorities rescued 21 women from a policeman assigned to a government task force against human trafficking and his wife as some of the women, who had allegedly been forced to take drugs, were being readied for travel to Sabah, Malaysia, police said Thursday.
Senior Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, Tawi-Tawi police chief, said the rescue of the women and the arrest of Police Officer 1 Jonald Cuadra Ladjahassan and his wife Verna were made in three separate raids in Bongao, the provincial capital, on Wednesday.
He said most of the women were recruited from Maguindanao for jobs supposedly awaiting them in the east Malaysia state of Sabah.
Jocson said seven victims were rescued from the Sanga-Sanga Airport in Bongao at around 9 a.m. Wednesday. The victims were on their way to Zamboanga City where they were to start their journey to Sabah.
At 1 p.m. on that same day, seven more women were rescued from the Fortune Inn, also in Bongao, Jocson said, adding that police raided Ladjahassan’s house in Barangay Tubig Boh later in the evening, where seven more women were rescued. It was there that the policeman and his wife were arrested, he added.
“At the height of the arrest, two women were found naked and they were forced to take drugs by this police officer. We learned that Ladjahassan was also into drugs,” Jocson said in a telephone interview.
Jocson said the raids were conducted after one of the couple’s recruits managed to escape and told authorities about their ordeal.
“Majority of the victims were from Maguindanao. They were scheduled to leave for Sabah,” Jocson said.
Charges under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act as well as the Dangerous Drugs Act were now being readied against the Ladjahassan, a repeat offender, and his wife, Jocson said, adding that the two were to be transferred to Zamboanga City for prosecution.
He said the Tawi-Tawi policeman, who was assigned with the Bongao Municipal Inter-Agency Committee Against Human Trafficking (Miacat), was also arrested in May for the same offense, along with his other wife, Maria Vema Gaticales, also a member of the committee.
“The couple managed to post bail then,” Jocson said.
After posting bail, Gaticales urged the Regional Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking (Riacat) to investigate Jocson for his motives in accusing her of being involved in human trafficking.
Jocson said the rescued victims were being sent to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Zamboanga City for documentation and filing of affidavits for the cases against Ladjahassan and his second wife before being turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Jocson said the authorities “believe there are others in uniform involved in this illegal activity.”
Last May, police rescued more than 100 suspected victims of human trafficking who were crammed in a budget hotel in Zamboanga City, and arrested their recruiter. About half of the rescued victims, who were all from Basila, were minors.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Feds to crack down on fraud, human trafficking among international students Read it on Global News: Global News | Feds to crack down on fraud, human trafficking among international students
http://www.globalnews.ca/feds+to+crack+down+on+fraud+human+trafficking+among+international+students/6442689766/story.html?utm_source=facebook-twitter&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=community
Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News : Wednesday, August 01, 2012 8:39 AM
The Harper government is moving to deter some refugees;largely from Europe and those who arrive en masse;from seeking protection in Canada by reviving measures that died in Parliament during its minority rule.
Photo Credit: Adrian Wyld , CP
RELATED
Feds cut off deportation appeal avenues for immigrants convicted of crimes(2)
Tories say new bill will target bogus refugee claims
OTTAWA — The federal government wants to toughen the rules surrounding student visas in the hopes of cracking down on fraud and human smuggling — even though it's not clear just how big a problem this is.
Quietly published in the Canada Gazette late last month is a proposal to weed out international students who arrive on a student visa as a means of gaining access to Canada's labour market and don't actually enrol in school. There are also concerns that some are ending up at sub-par institutions that ultimately hurt Canada's credibility on the international stage.
Citing anecdotal evidence relayed by some ethnic communities, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he also worries human smuggling groups are helping young people obtain student visas only to pull them into the sex trade once they arrive.
"This is a loophole being allegedly used by some criminal operations to bring potentially vulnerable young women to Canada to face exploitation," Kenney said in an interview.
"We don't have much in the way of hard data on this. It's a concern that's been raised and I think it's a legitimate one and we think this underscores the need for us to better police the program."
Noting both Australia and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom have introduced similar changes in the wake of widespread fraud within their student visa programs, Kenney said Canada is the only like-minded country that still has no checks to ensure those who arrive on student visas are actually enrolled at legitimate institutions.
"That's why we're proposing to have provinces submit to us a list of credible post-secondary institutions which should benefit from the student visa program so that we can distinguish those institutions from schools that may not actually be offering quality programs," he said.
"Our broader concern is to ensure the integrity of the student visas that we issue."
Eligibility criteria will be determined based on consultations with the provinces, territories and stakeholder institutions and those not on the list will no longer be allowed to accept international students. Student visas will be issued on the condition that individuals enrol in and pursue studies at an approved institution and compliance will be monitored.
According to the proposal, student visas will no longer be available to people enrolled in courses that are less than six months long. Student work permits also will be restricted to valid student visa holders who are taking part in off-campus or co-op programs specifically designed for international students.
Like other temporary foreign workers, foreign students will not be able to work as exotic dancers or escorts thanks to other measures the government recently adopted.
While stakeholders generally support the initiative, they have raised some concerns.
Some provinces, for instance, worry they'll be stuck sucking up most of the costs associated with monitoring and reporting compliance to the federal government.
"The administration of a meaningful designation process will have policy and operational implications for provinces and territories. Provinces and territories will need to design designation policies and processes which will have resource implications to develop and monitor," said Gyula Kovacs, an official with Ontario's ministry of training, colleges and universities.
"The federal government has not determined whether it will be providing funding to support the initiative."
Eric Johansen, an official with the Saskatchewan government, suggested one way of minimizing the costs to the province would be to have institutions report directly to the federal government without having to first go through the province as an intermediary.
While Saskatchewan sees the value in changes that will create a "stronger international student program," he argued allegations of visa fraud is "primarily a Citizenship and Immigration Canada concern."
Serge Buy of the National Association of Career Colleges said he supports the move to tighten up the rules. That said, he's hopeful provinces and territories will give equal consideration to private career colleges when they establish their lists of eligible institutions.
He's also hoping that the new rules will also mean international students who attend legitimate career colleges that are on the list will be able to obtain postgraduate work permits, which is not the case for most now.
Buy raised further concerns about barring people enrolled in programs that are less than six months from obtaining student visas. Many career college courses are condensed and students that may need to retake some classes will be adversely affected if they're forced to leave the country and return on a new tourist visa.
Last year Canada issued more than 98,000 student visas, a 34 per cent increase over 2007. A study released last week also found international students contributed nearly $7 billion annually to the Canadian economy, created more than 81,000 jobs and generated more than $445 million in revenue for the government.
Kenney said he does not expect the numbers will go down as a result of the changes.
Read it on Global News: Global News | Feds to crack down on fraud, human trafficking among international students
Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News : Wednesday, August 01, 2012 8:39 AM
The Harper government is moving to deter some refugees;largely from Europe and those who arrive en masse;from seeking protection in Canada by reviving measures that died in Parliament during its minority rule.
Photo Credit: Adrian Wyld , CP
RELATED
Feds cut off deportation appeal avenues for immigrants convicted of crimes(2)
Tories say new bill will target bogus refugee claims
OTTAWA — The federal government wants to toughen the rules surrounding student visas in the hopes of cracking down on fraud and human smuggling — even though it's not clear just how big a problem this is.
Quietly published in the Canada Gazette late last month is a proposal to weed out international students who arrive on a student visa as a means of gaining access to Canada's labour market and don't actually enrol in school. There are also concerns that some are ending up at sub-par institutions that ultimately hurt Canada's credibility on the international stage.
Citing anecdotal evidence relayed by some ethnic communities, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he also worries human smuggling groups are helping young people obtain student visas only to pull them into the sex trade once they arrive.
"This is a loophole being allegedly used by some criminal operations to bring potentially vulnerable young women to Canada to face exploitation," Kenney said in an interview.
"We don't have much in the way of hard data on this. It's a concern that's been raised and I think it's a legitimate one and we think this underscores the need for us to better police the program."
Noting both Australia and, to a lesser extent, the United Kingdom have introduced similar changes in the wake of widespread fraud within their student visa programs, Kenney said Canada is the only like-minded country that still has no checks to ensure those who arrive on student visas are actually enrolled at legitimate institutions.
"That's why we're proposing to have provinces submit to us a list of credible post-secondary institutions which should benefit from the student visa program so that we can distinguish those institutions from schools that may not actually be offering quality programs," he said.
"Our broader concern is to ensure the integrity of the student visas that we issue."
Eligibility criteria will be determined based on consultations with the provinces, territories and stakeholder institutions and those not on the list will no longer be allowed to accept international students. Student visas will be issued on the condition that individuals enrol in and pursue studies at an approved institution and compliance will be monitored.
According to the proposal, student visas will no longer be available to people enrolled in courses that are less than six months long. Student work permits also will be restricted to valid student visa holders who are taking part in off-campus or co-op programs specifically designed for international students.
Like other temporary foreign workers, foreign students will not be able to work as exotic dancers or escorts thanks to other measures the government recently adopted.
While stakeholders generally support the initiative, they have raised some concerns.
Some provinces, for instance, worry they'll be stuck sucking up most of the costs associated with monitoring and reporting compliance to the federal government.
"The administration of a meaningful designation process will have policy and operational implications for provinces and territories. Provinces and territories will need to design designation policies and processes which will have resource implications to develop and monitor," said Gyula Kovacs, an official with Ontario's ministry of training, colleges and universities.
"The federal government has not determined whether it will be providing funding to support the initiative."
Eric Johansen, an official with the Saskatchewan government, suggested one way of minimizing the costs to the province would be to have institutions report directly to the federal government without having to first go through the province as an intermediary.
While Saskatchewan sees the value in changes that will create a "stronger international student program," he argued allegations of visa fraud is "primarily a Citizenship and Immigration Canada concern."
Serge Buy of the National Association of Career Colleges said he supports the move to tighten up the rules. That said, he's hopeful provinces and territories will give equal consideration to private career colleges when they establish their lists of eligible institutions.
He's also hoping that the new rules will also mean international students who attend legitimate career colleges that are on the list will be able to obtain postgraduate work permits, which is not the case for most now.
Buy raised further concerns about barring people enrolled in programs that are less than six months from obtaining student visas. Many career college courses are condensed and students that may need to retake some classes will be adversely affected if they're forced to leave the country and return on a new tourist visa.
Last year Canada issued more than 98,000 student visas, a 34 per cent increase over 2007. A study released last week also found international students contributed nearly $7 billion annually to the Canadian economy, created more than 81,000 jobs and generated more than $445 million in revenue for the government.
Kenney said he does not expect the numbers will go down as a result of the changes.
Read it on Global News: Global News | Feds to crack down on fraud, human trafficking among international students
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