Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Hosts Chat on Weibo

03/23/2014

Shanghai, March 21, 2014 — Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, will chat with social media users about Canada’s successful immigration programs through Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, on Saturday March 22 at 5:00pm CST (2:00am PST, 5:00am EST).

Alexander will promote Canada as a destination of choice for students, businesses and visitors.  Nearly 29,000 Chinese students came to Canada in 2013, and almost 34,000 Chinese newcomers became permanent residents, making China the top source country that year. 

The Weibo chat will also provide the Minister with the opportunity to highlight the existing immigration pathways for those who want to immigrate to Canada, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Provincial Nominee Program, and the Start-Up Visa.

Quick facts

• Canada’s missions in China have more than 460,000 followers on Weibo. Follow us at www.weibo.com/canadaweibo or at twitter.com/CitImmCanada.
• In 2013, more than 270,000 visitor visas were issued to Chinese travelers.
• China was the top source country for new permanent resident admissions to Canada in 2013 with almost 34,000.

Quote

“I am looking forward to chatting with some of our followers on Weibo about the opportunities Canada has to offer, as well as the pathways to permanent residency that are available to people who want to come study, do business or visit our great country. Our government values the strong relationship between Canada and China and we look forward to further strengthening people-to-people ties between our two countries.”