Archive for the ‘Immigration’ Category
August 12th, 2009 | 
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After you become a landed immigrant, you must apply for three very important pieces of IDs: a permanent resident card, a SIN card and a health card.
This card will be the easiest to obtain, because you don’t need to apply for it! Once you become a landed immigrant, the officer at the entry point will ask you for an address and you will receive the card automatically, free of charge. And that’s it!
The Permanent Residence card is the proof of your status in Canada. It expires every five year.
You SIN Card
A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a 9 digit number issued by the Canadian government that you need to work in Canada. It is very important that you apply for your Social Insurance Number card as soon as you can.
You may apply for a SIN card at any Service Canada Center. Permanent Residents in Canada will need:
- The Permanent Resident Card issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, or
- The Confirmation of Permanent Residence and visa counterfoil affixed to your passport
You will receive a SIN number right away if you apply in person. You will then receive the card by mail within ten days.
You may also apply by mail, by downloading the application form and sending the supporting documents. It will take about 15 business days.
There is no fee to apply for a SIN number and to get a first SIN card.
Be aware that identity thief is a serious problem, so take care of your SIN number. Only provide you SIN number when it is legally required, for example, by your employer, financial institutions and tax services. You do not have to give your SIN number to complete a job application, or to apply for credit cards.
The Health Card
Health Cards are issued by the provincial or territorial government and allow access to insured health care services. Each province or territory manages its own health system.
Because this is a provincial matter, regulations and requirement vary. Generally speaking, as a permanent resident, you are entitled to a range of health care services paid for by your provincial health ministry. Typically hospitalizations, surgeries, visits to your general practitioner, emergency visits etc are covered, which means that you just have to show your health card when using the services, and that you will not pay. Services which are not generally covered are eye exams, dentistry and cosmetic surgery. If you wish to be covered for additional services, you may buy private health insurance.
Everyone must have their own health cards, including babies.
Note that you may not be eligible for health care right after you arrive. Some provinces require a waiting, during which you will not be covered. For example, in Ontario, coverage normally becomes effective three months after the date you establish residency in the province. New and returning residents are encouraged to purchase private health insurance in case you become ill during the waiting period.
In order to maintain your insurance coverage, most provinces requires that you make your primary residence in that province and that you meet physical presence requirements.
These are the most important IDs you should apply for when arriving in Canada. You will need them to work, prove your status, prove that you are entitled to benefits etc. So take a moment to do the paperworks!
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Juliette Giannesini is a French woman, living in English Canada. She went through the immigration process to settle in Canada and eventually became a Canadian citizen in 2009. |
In an effort to modernize the Thai Immigration system, officials in Thailand have promulgated rules which have precluded some foreigners from remaining in the Kingdom for long periods of time.
In recent months there have been many changes in Thailand’s Immigration and Visa regulations. Most notable among these changes has been the virtual destruction of the infinite visa exemptions once 
granted by Royal Thai Immigration authorities at border checkpoints. At one point, it was possible for a foreign national to obtain three Thai thirty day visa exemptions before being forced to depart the Kingdom, obtain a visa, and reenter in lawful status. At this time, this scheme is no longer the way Thai Immigration deals with those entering on visa exemptions.
At this moment, Royal Thai Immigration officers are allowing multiple visa exemption stamps. However, these stamps are only valid for 15 days. Instead, they currently allow entrants to gain admission to the Kingdom, but only for 15 days at land borders and 30 days at airports.
The result of this state of affairs was an increasing number of prospective visitors applied for tourist visas outside of Thailand. Consulates and Embassies in the ASEAN countries have seen a dramatic rise in Tourist visa applications as well as approvals. The most interesting aspect of this situation was the fact that this upsurge in Tourist visa applications also coincided with a program instituted by the Thai government to give away free tourist visas. As a result, Consular posts outside of Thailand were taking processing a larger number of cases and being paid less money. Although a Consulate is not a strictly “for profit” enterprise, the lack of funding and heavier workload may explain why Consulates began scrutinizing Tourist visa applications more closely. This problem became particularly acute at notorious “visa run” posts. The Thai Consulate-General in Penang, Malaysia has made stringent rules restricting the issuance of multiple tourist visas as the post believed that there were some foreigners abusing the system.
This leaves the prospective traveler asking themselves: What do I do to get a long term Thai visa? The best advice: plan ahead. It is often easiest to obtain a long term Thai visa from a post in the applicant’s home country. Even though there exceptions to any rule, a prospective long term tourist generally has the best luck in obtaining a visa from his or her home country. However, there are some types of visas that can be easily obtained and some types that cannot be easily acquired. The 3 year multiple entry business visa is an example of the type of visa that is not generally granted. A Thai business visa with a validity of 1 year is more easily acquired by prospective travelers, but even this type of visa requires sponsorship by a company in Thailand and some companies are reluctant to act as sponsors.
Crime is an inexcusable offence that may take different forms. For example, sedition, treason and espionage are crimes against the state where as murder, rape, kidnapping and assault are crimes against a 
person. Under criminal law, the government always files the suit where as in case of civil law a private party always files the suit.
Criminal law explains criminal offences and its elements and the punishment for the convicted offenders as an effective means of social control. The most important feature of the U.S. criminal law is its provision for common punishment. Certain criminal laws prescribe rules and regulations to observe and maintain higher standards of conduct. For example, helping the police in investigation when asked to do so and reporting to authorities immediately after a culprit is identified are examples of moral or ethical criminal laws.
According to the U.S. constitution there are certain crimes called strict liability crimes like drug abuse and weapon offences where the act itself is sufficient to punish the offender. Here the criminal law imposes liability without fail. In the U.S. crimes like conspiracy, terrorism and sexual harassment are dealt under inchoate crime laws where anyone aiding in planning and execution of the crime is subjected to the same penalties as a person who actually commits the crime. The crime could be the result of a direct cause or a legal cause or an intervening cause. Therefore, criminal law gives immense importance to the concept of causation.
Everybody wants the criminal to be punished for the crime he has committed. Penalties should be of such nature that the criminal would not dare repeat the act he has committed.
Wondering what to do when you have been in an accident, a slip and fall, or a workplace injury? If you have already spoken with in insurance provider for your insurer, it may be time to consider a personal injury attorney.
The danger in running right out and hiring a personal injury attorney immediately after injury is that you will have to pay for their services out of whatever payout you ultimately get. So, it is typically wise to first speak with the relevant insurance provider and only then turn to legal alternatives. While speaking to the insurance company will in many situations resolve the issue completely, there may be some situations in which the insurance company either denies your claim entirely or decides to compensate you in a matter that is from your perspective insufficient. In such situations, the premium that you pay out to a personal injury attorney will come back to you in settlement damages many times over.
Now, once you are convinced that you need a personal injury attorney, you have to put forth the effort of first finding the right person for your case. Here are a few tips on selecting the right attorney for you:
There are a number of online databases of local and regional personal 
injury attorneys. While most of these are pay per listing or free submission, some actually do provide reviewing services. Even here, however, be wary of putting too much stock in a website’s recommendation as this information can be easily manipulated.
Using this online database and your local yellow pages as a sort of general list, it then becomes imperative to narrow this list by looking at the credentials of a particular attorney. Probably the best way to do this is to call your local legal aid clinic, which is free. While these individuals are not in the business of providing recommendations, the bar in a particular city for personal injury usually consists of about fifty to one hundred attorneys, so amongst attorneys word gets around pretty quickly as to who is good and who is not.
Personal injuries can result in either bodily or mental harm. If you, as a victim choose to take the help of the Law for recovering damager, it can mean a long legal battle. Most people use their personal money to fight personal injury cases and soon they are exhausted of all financial 
resources. They are also intimidated by large insurance companies and corporations and are more than willing to settle for a smaller amount rather than spend their money and fight a case. This is where Oregon Personal Injury funding comes into picture. There are companies that are willing to fund your personal injury law suit. They bear expenses like car payments, mortgages, tuition fees and many other expenses.
Many people settle for very low claim settlements since it would take a lot of money and time to win a law suit. An Oregon Personal Injury funding company would take care of all expenses like attorney fees, filing fees, expert witness fees, etc. to keep the attorneys fighting on the case. The cash advance is given in the form of non-recourse loan, which need not be repaid if the case is lost.
Oregon cash advance companies review the case first. If the company thinks that there is a good chance of winning, it makes an offer to bear all expenses for fighting the case. They also contact the attorney concerned for reviewing all aspects of the case.
There are many personal Injury funding companies in Oregon. These are just financial companies and do not offer any legal services or advice for winning the case. Information about these companies can be obtained through the yellow pages, or by seeking the advice of your attorney, friends or family members. The Internet is a very good source for locating good Oregon Personal injury funding companies.