Nicholas Keung
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nicholaskeung.bsky.social
Nicholas Keung
@nicholaskeung.bsky.social
37 followers 11 following 120 posts
Immigration Reporter at the Toronto Star. Can be reached at nkeung@thestar.ca.
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nicholaskeung.bsky.social
Bill C-3 passed third reading in Parliament by a vote of 177 to 163, with the support of Green Leader Elizabeth May and all seven New Democrat MPs.
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Carney’s Liberals, NDP ensure ‘citizenship-by-descent’ bill passes third reading, undoing opposition changes
Amendments made by the opposition Conservatives and Bloc Québécois would have restricted the passage of citizenship.
www.thestar.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:02 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
From more cut to international students to humanitarian programs for Ukrainians & Hong Kongers, overall PR levels, fast-tracking PRs for protected persons and the need for a broader regularization plan, here's Marc Miller's take on new immigration plan
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
This Trudeau minister kickstarted Canada’s immigration cuts. Here’s what he thinks about Carney’s new plan
The minister was tapped in 2023 by then prime minister Justin Trudeau to rein in rapid immigration growth amid a public outcry.
www.thestar.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
A federal funding reduction of $107 million, as first reported by the Star, is the equivalent of losing approximately 1,800 shelter beds in a system that currently houses more than 3,500 refugees — about 40 per cent of the people in the shelter system.
www.thestar.com/news/gta/ott...
Ottawa’s funding cuts will force refugee claimants out of shelters and on to city streets, watchdog warns
A letter from the city’s ombudsman on Wednesday warns the federal government that a $107 million funding cut is the equivalent of losing approximately 1,800 shelter beds.
www.thestar.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:10 AM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
With the size of the pie shrinking and processing resources at capacity, officials must scramble to add spaces to some programs at the expense of others. An appendix to the new immigration plan sheds light on the winners and losers in the numbers game.
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Carney government’s new immigration plan: Who wins, and who is losing out
On Wednesday, the Immigration Department released the breakdown of the 2026-28 targets for individual permanent and temporary residence programs.
www.thestar.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
“It’s through immigration that you bring in skilled people who are going to build...This plan is a giant hole in what appears to be a nation-building budget. It’s going totally the opposite direction. I think it’s more about responding to opinion polls." www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Canada will reduce international student permits by more than half, budget reveals
“The new study permit caps further erode Canada’s reputation,” said one critic of Ottawa’s plan to next year limit new international student permits to 150,000 from a previous target of 305,900.
www.thestar.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
What's supposed to be temporary stay has turned into indefinite displacement w/no end in sight to conflicts & little chances of acquiring PR. How to manage temporary guests who Canada has declared a moral obligation to help remains a challenge for Ottawa.
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Immigration cuts leave Ukrainians, Hong Kongers in Canada with little chance of permanent residence
Ottawa has given shelter to different groups as temporary residents through various humanitarian public policies. But cuts have left many in limbo.
www.thestar.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:10 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
“It does show how much Trudeau affected people’s perceptions. Now that he’s gone & the government has continued to follow through on that more restrictive immigration policy, they’ve kind of returned to more of a normal place.”
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Majority of Canadians say immigration level still too high, but confidence growing in Carney fixing ‘broken’ system: Poll
Overall, 38% of Canadians favoured the Conservatives to stickhandle this issue, compared to 29% for the Liberals, an Abacus Data survey found.
www.thestar.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:24 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
“If you keep talking about massage parlours & substandard education, diploma mills…all of that language undermines the perceived quality of a country whose education system continues 2B world-class in quality." Here's how DLIs want to change the narrative
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canada’s education sector has a new idea to lure international students back. Here’s what it is
Canadian Bureau for International Education is leading an effort to try to save Canada’s reputation as a top destination in the face of drastic cuts.
www.thestar.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:35 PM
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A Liberal government source with knowledge of the situation and not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, said they still don’t know whether the full immigration levels plan will be in the budget, or a partial version of it.
www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Federal officials are not sure when immigration levels plan is coming
OTTAWA - Immigration department officials do not know if Prime Minister Mark Carney's promise to include Canada's new immigration plan in the federal budget next week will be the full
www.thestar.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:05 AM
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An update to Canada's plan to allow new citizen self-attestation of citizenship oath by a mouse on keyboard - and the almost decade-old project to update an outdated citizenship study guide
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
What happened to ‘click once for Canadian citizenship’? The government has (quietly) thought twice
The proposal two years ago would have allowed citizens to take their oath on their own with a click on the keyboard.
www.thestar.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:35 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
A termination package included a $250 payment to assist with “transition to new employment,” contingent on, among other things, a “non-disparagement” clause, i.e. workers must “agree not to make, disseminate/publish any statement critical of the Company."
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
These temporary foreign workers in Ontario are facing job loss, possible deportation after mushroom plant closes: ‘We’re in a state of shock’
Shuttering of Highline Mushrooms’ location in Prince Edward County will leave dozens of employees without access to EI or other benefits.
www.thestar.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM
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Some immigration programs are seeing eye-popping surges in new application processing times, exceeding 10 yrs. Critics question timing of the updates amid debates of new laws to manage immigration intakes & release of 2026-2028 admission targets
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canada’s immigration department reveals eye-popping application processing times — some of which exceed 10 years
Critics question the change, which is supposed to provide more transparency, amid worries that a mass cancellation of applications is coming soon.
www.thestar.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:41 PM
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While Poilievre has vowed since last spring to end “woke ideology” in the public service, this is the first time since that he’s mentioned diversity and inclusion specifically. It’s a move that comes as DEI programming comes under fire worldwide.
www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Diversity, equity and inclusion are coming under scrutiny — and Pierre Poilievre is ready to push the conversation
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are in the crosshairs south of the border and now the mantle has been taken up by the federal Conservative party, which has released a
www.thestar.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:22 PM
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“Today this division is the largest yet recorded, and immigration appears to be one of the defining issues of party affiliation.” Here's how CPC, Lib, NDP and BQ supporters differ in views on immigration levels and admissions of minority groups:
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canadians’ views on immigration see growing split along political lines: Survey
Environics Institute finds overall views on immigration levels remain negative.
www.thestar.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:40 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
About 60% of family medicine residency positions in Ontario medical schools were filled by international medical graduates. New requirement will lead to a significant drop in the #s of applicants eligible for the first round, going from about 1,200 to 200.
www.thestar.com/news/ontario...
A ‘significant step backwards’: How a surprise Ontario rule change could hurt efforts to attract family doctors, according to physician groups
Policy requires international medical graduates to have completed 2 years of high school here to join the first round of matching for residency spots.
www.thestar.com
October 15, 2025 at 1:33 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
“We came as immigrants and didn’t go to high school here. I can’t travel back in time to meet that requirement. What’s the relevance between where you go to high school and your qualifications for residency? This is blatant discrimination.”
www.thestar.com/news/ontario...
‘Discriminatory and devastating’: New Ontario rule for medical residency that would exclude most immigrant physicians sparks outrage
The province’s health ministry now requires international medical graduates to have attended an Ontario high school for at least two years. This excludes the majority of immigrant physicians from the ...
www.thestar.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Nicholas Keung
picardonhealth.bsky.social
‘Discriminatory and devastating’: New Ontario rule for medical residency that would exclude most immigrant physicians sparks outrage, by @nicholaskeung.bsky.social www.thestar.com/news/ontario... via @thestar.com
‘Discriminatory and devastating’: New Ontario rule for medical residency that would exclude most immigrant physicians sparks outrage
The province’s health ministry now requires international medical graduates to have attended an Ontario high school for at least two years. This excludes the majority of immigrant physicians from the ...
www.thestar.com
October 12, 2025 at 3:04 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
At parliamentary committee, John Tibbits was grilled by MPs on everything from Conestoga College’s budget surpluses to his $600,000 salary, students in “slumlord housing” & living off food banks, and the time he called another college president “a whore.”
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
President of college that had most international students in Canada grilled by MPs but insists ‘there was no money to be made’
John Tibbits of Conestoga bats down questions on budget surpluses, housing conditions of students and his crude comments about another president.
www.thestar.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:23 PM
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Estefania, a migrant worker from Mexico, will not see a cent of the $1 million fine Ottawa issued against her former employer, Bolero Shellfish Processing Inc., for violating the temporary foreign worker program, according to the Immigration Department
www.thestar.com/news/gta/can...
Canadian company that employed temporary foreign workers gets record fine for abuses — but workers won’t get any money
The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is calling on Ottawa to compensate migrant workers from fines collected.
www.thestar.com
October 8, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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MPs on immigration committee have inserted into Bill C-3 language and knowledge requirements, as well as security checks for foreign-born descendants of Canadian parents who were also born abroad. 1,095-day residency has to be consecutive over 5 years
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canadian residency, language provisions added to bill on citizenship by descent
To inherit citizenship by descent, those 18-55 would need “adequate” knowledge in English or French, and of the responsibilities of being a citizen.
www.thestar.com
October 8, 2025 at 1:59 PM
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Hundreds of civil society groups and the NDP have opposed most of Bill C-2’s new provisions and called for its withdrawal, while the Conservatives and Bloc appeared open to the immigration changes.
www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Carney government expected to replace controversial border bill
An analysis by the Justice Department concluded the original version of the bill could have affected several rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
www.thestar.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:40 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
Experts are seeing more security screening referrals even PR/TR applicants haven't served in military/law enforcement, worked for foreign govt or belonged to groups. Some think it's related to geopolitics & is an attempt to slow immigration processing
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
This couple has been in Canada for years. They applied for permanent residence — but are baffled they are still waiting for security clearance
Time-consuming security screenings for temporary or permanent resident applications have been on the rise, often with no obvious reason.
www.thestar.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:28 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
Desperate US firms could take advantage of CUSMA to poach talent to their north to fill gaps. Weighted H1B lottery would also mean int'l grads & junior skilled workers would less likely be selected. The cohort could be direct competition to Canadian grads
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
How Canada can take advantage of Donald Trump’s $100,000 charge for skilled worker visas — and how Canada can lose out
Changes to U.S. visas open up an opportunity, but talented workers may still be lured south of the border under free-trade rules.
www.thestar.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:19 PM
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“We’ve heard concerns that Bill C-3 could mean hundreds of thousands of new citizens,. Based on that evidence, we anticipate volumes in the tens of thousands over time and we do not expect any surge.”
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Is 3 years of residency in Canada enough connection for citizenship by descent? MPs are at odds
Bill C-3 would allow Canadians born abroad to pass citizenship by descent to children also born abroad.
www.thestar.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
nicholaskeung.bsky.social
Under new PGWP rules, 30% fewer postgrad work permits for international students. In first 6 months of 2025, PGWPs going to colleges up at expense of undergrads from universities. Postgrad PGWPs steady. Share of PGWPs to biz/management programs also up
www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Which international students in Canada are getting postgraduate work permits? The list is shrinking
Decline in the approvals has been attributed to new rules to limit access to work authorizations for international graduates in Canada.
www.thestar.com
September 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM