The Canadian Senate has adopted a motion to amend Bill C-6 (the Citizenship Bill) to increase the requirement of language and knowledge test for citizenship from age 55 to 60. The Bill is almost at the final stage of becoming law, but is yet to receive final approval in Parliament.

Through The Professional Education and Training Project (PET), OCASI aims to make funding available to organizations for group in-house professional development training to improve settlement services by addressing gaps in skills, knowledge and attitudes of service providers within each participating agencies. The project also provides settlement practitioners access to online e-learning course.

OCASI and many others across Canada are calling on the Canadian government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement with the US. Asylum seekers that enter Canada from the U.S. through regulated border points are subject to the Agreement, and may not be allowed to stay to make a refugee claim. Many Canadians are concerned about the health, safety and well-being of asylum seekers who are crossing the border into Canada at unregulated points, while others mistakenly believe they are breaking the law and should be stopped. 

Refugee Rights Month is commemorated on April 4 every year in Canada to bring attention to the advances made in the protection of refugee rights in Canada as a result of the Supreme Court decision (the ‘Singh’ decision) in 1985. Join us this year to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 'Singh Decision'.

In Honour of International Women’s Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, OCASI - Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants invites you to participate in an online live, interactive event:

Act today! Please use this template to send a letter by email to your Member of Parliament, with a copy to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and to OCASI.

By OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
This is a Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change (COP-COC) Initiative

Hours & Duration: Part-time, flexible hours and days, Immediate until August 1, 2018

Application Deadline: Tuesday February 7, 2017

January 2017
OCASI wrote to newly sworn-in federal government Ministers Ahmed Hussen, Patty Hadju and Maryam Monsef to congratulate them on their new Cabinet appointments and to introduce the Council and our priorities. Follow the links to read the OCASI letters to the Ministers.

Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship