At present, offices of these private agencies remain filled with visitors from morning to noon and the numbers of clients have almost doubled, said sources.

There are some 15 agencies involved in processing Canadian immigration application and according to their statistics, over 550 families migrated to the country over a period of eight years up to June 2002. The total qualifying points required at that time was 75. Since June 2002, some 100 families have migrated to Canada after the qualifying marks for skilled workers came down to 67. The percentage of families getting residency status has also seen a 50 percent increase according to the Immigration Law Consultancy Bureau (ILCB).

Charles W Pley, a well-known immigration lawyer from Canada, recently visited Dhaka on the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of CM International, a Canadian immigration agency in Bangladesh. He also took time out to explain the advantages of migrating to Canada.

"Previously doctors and nurses were not encouraged to apply. But after the liberalisation, they have been added in the occupation list along with many other skilled worker categories such as engineers and teachers," said Pley.

The age-limit for applying has been re-considered and extended to 49 years. The higher the educational qualification, the more points one can gain. Employment experience in related field, self-arranged employment prior to lodging application and even spouse's education gets added as extra points. In the investor's immigration scheme, the test to qualify has been made simpler with priority processing time set at approximately one year.

Family reunification has also been given higher importance.

However, the drawbacks of the new policy include a higher standard for English language proficiency. The IELTS Test is a must with the minimum qualifying score being 5.0.

"The time duration which an immigrant must stay in Canada has been reduced from five to two years. Previously, an applicant upon reaching Canada had to stay there at least 6 months every year. Now one has to live in Canada for two years spread within a five-year period," informed Pley.

A senior Lawyer in Dhaka told Star City that the United States is putting a lot of pressure on Canada to further tighten its security following the liberalisation policy.

"The permanent residency card now has many security codes due to the pressure from the US. They are taking extra measures at the border and security screening before entering Canada has also been strengthened for that reason," said Pley.

Asked why Canada was welcoming immigrants while the USA was going for a stricter registration policy, agency directors said that Canada is more open because of its need for skilled labour. Besides, as both countries are different, they share different immigration viewpoints also.

"Around 20 visitors come to our office a day to collect information and at least 10 applicants are prospective Canadian immigrants. More than 100 families successfully migrated from my firm after the policy change," said Masud-ur Rahman, president of CM International.