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Noting Canada has two official languages, I wonder how they explain this Printer friendly page Print This
By Staff Writers, teleSUR
teleSUR
Thursday, Aug 17, 2017

Irish Must Pass English-Speaking Test to Become Canadian


The Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada requires all applicants to provide proof of language proficiency.

Despite English being their first language, Irish immigrants are expected to pass a test to become a Canadian resident.

Ireland’s official languages are Irish and English. And while not every Irish person speaks Irish, nearly everyone speaks English as their first language.

Immigration lawyers are also expressing their annoyance, calling on the Canadian federal government to omit English-speaking proficiency tests for native English speakers. “Common sense has left the building," immigration lawyer Guidy Mamann told CBC Toronto.

Mamann explained that prior to 2013 applicants could prove proficiency through an interview with an immigration officer, before the implementation of the mandatory online written test which costs CAN$265 ($208).

"It makes us look a little bit too bureaucratic," he said. "Obviously we want to have an objective standard but there has to be some allowance for common sense.

"We're asking people who basically invented the English language to prove they speak English."

In his own experience, he’s had to explain to applicants from England that they were going to have to take the test to prove they could speak English.

"I sat there with a professor of English in the UK at a reputable university and I'm explaining to him I need him to undertake an English language test. it just seems kind of silly,” he related to CBC.

A spokesperson for Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Carl Beauchamp, told Canada's national TV station in an email: "To be consistent and transparent, IRCC requires all applicants to provide proof of language proficiency through an objective test.

"Mandatory language proficiency tests for applicants to economic immigration programs have been in place for many years... With a standard language proficiency test, all applicants are evaluated against the same standards, no matter their language of origin, nationality or ethnicity."

While an English proficiency test is needed to apply to be a permanent resident in Canada, it is not needed to apply for a work permit.


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