The lines are getting longer as Canada is still conducting increased security checks of carry-on luggage, sometimes emptying the whole bag for searches as well as incorporating several different security check points. The Wall Street Journal has published a story this week saying that all in all, when flying from Toronto to the United States, you’ll have to line up at least eight times.

Almost two months after the December 25th attempting bombing of an American airplane, security at the Toronto airport is still a frustrating experience. Officials have said that the rules will be in place for a long time or at least until technology catches up. Full body scanners are expected to be installed at numerous Canadian and American airports in the coming months, and Pearson airport in Toronto has had one installed since last month, although some passengers can opt for a full-body pat down instead.

In Toronto, passengers are sometimes selected for secondary screening, and the Wall Street Journal reported that on one recent day four out of every five passengers were selected for this secondary screening, which includes the emptying of pockets, bags, purses and suitcases to have the contents carefully and meticulously searched, unfolded and picked through.

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced that they are also planning to begin randomly swabbing both passengers and belongings in the coming weeks for traces of chemicals known to be used in the manufacturing of explosives. The swabs are then inserted into an electronic sniffer onsite.

The devastation is Haiti is unprecedented and humanitarian aid is desperately needed. The problem of course is making sure that the aid gets to those who really need it. Haiti has always been a politically corrupt nation and now, in the aftermath of the earth quake, a lawless one.  Over the years we have represented Haitians with their immigration and visa applications and have been shocked by their stories of hardship there. Like other corrupt, developing countries, foreign aid, while a noble endeavor often falls in the wrong hands. Warlords, politicians and their friends get the loot while the starving public waits in vain.

But if you feel, like I do, that doing your part in the hope that it makes even a little difference is worth it, the following are some agencies to consider in offering your support.

Canadian Red Cross

www.redcross.ca/helpnow
1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office

The Salvation Army
www.salvationarmy.ca
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)

The Humanitarian Coalition (CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec, Save the Children)
www.humanitariancoalition.ca

Médecins Sans Frontières
www.msf.ca
1-800-982-7903 or 416-964-0619

CBC Haiti Relief site
http://www.cbc.ca/haitirelief/

It has been reported that Google, the primary search engine, is considering pulling out of China because of their censorship laws. Freedom of expression in China, being a communist country, does not exist. The Internet on the other hand is the bastion of free speech in modern times. The two (China and the Internet) mix like oil and water.

But Google makes money in China. Their search engine, Google.cn caters to a massive clientele in mainland China and Hong Kong. Google controls around 31% of the  Chinese market and makes over $400 million in revenue from it. However, despite Google’s stellar rise to the top and their domination in China, they obviously have not forgotten”from where they have come”. As a platform for people like you and me to freely express themselves, Google has given us a voice and an audience.  Google has, in essence, built its business on the principle of free speech and unlike other large companies that readily dispose of principles for short term profits, Google understands, its seems, the bigger picture.  They know who their customers really are: you and I, not governments and their special interest groups.

As has been demonstrated throughout history, once a principle is sacrificed, everyone suffers eventually. If Google were to continue operating in China, a country with a dismal record of human rights violations, censorship etc, Google would, in effect, be endorsing them. Eventually, other governments would get the message and one day you and I may find ourselves  mysteriously excluded from search results. Try searching “Tiananmen Square” in China and you will get the idea.

So as an immigration lawyer who has relied on Google to spread the word about all things immigration, I want to thank you for taking a stand. I am behind you.

Huh?

I knew you would say that.

Unless you are on a desert island, you have heard about Tiger’s alleged transgressions concerning marital infidelity.  As an immigration lawyer dealing with legal issues on a daily basis, I nevertheless get transfixed by the same gossipy headlines that everyone else does. But my world is seen though a slightly different lens. I find myself  reading the latest TMZ alerts from an “immigration perspective”.

Present case: I have no knowledge of Mrs. Woods (Nordegren) US immigration history. I know she is Swedish and was not born in the US. She was a nanny at one time and was introduced to Tiger by a fellow golf pro. Given these facts, it may be reasonable to assume but by no means is certain, that Tiger sponsored Ms. Nordegren for US Permanent Residence via Spousal Sponsorship Petition. Tiger (or his lawyers), like all US citizens, would have to have filed the necessary paperwork in order to have his bride obtain legal US status. Ms. Nordegren, the applicant beneficiary would have to undergo an immigration interview as part of the process. I would certainly like to have been that “fly on the wall” witnessing the USCIS officer question Elin about her “knowledge” of her Tiger’s life: “So Ms. Nordegren, do you know what your husband does for a living?”. You get the point.

Now that Tiger has made his confession in the carefully worded way notables do, I can’t help but think about how fragile and vulnerable relationships can be and how the immigration system is such a blunt instrument. File the paperwork, attend the interview, wait, wait and wait and viola. A new Permanent Resident is born! Now that she has US status, she has all the rights and privileges of a disgruntled US wife. Watch out.

Today, November 11, we reflect on those who sacrificed their lives so we, as Canadians can live in peace and prosperity. Remembrance Day is a special day for all Canadians, born or naturalized, immigrants or non-immigrants.   We all give thanks to those brave souls who faced horrors we could not even imagine to secure our way of life. Without such acts of bravery, none of us would enjoy Canada and what it has to offer today.

Many of our clients who are recent immigrants are especially grateful. Some have come from countries where the freedoms we take for granted are not available. It is our privilege to help immigrants come and settle here. And we take a moment out of our busy schedules and think about those who have made Canada what it is today.

Niren and Associates Immigration Lawyers is pleased to announce that we are now on Facebook and Twitter!

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