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economist sunsuntribune federal news saturday jan 102004 15 ylucfi vo you j ike t lead to dtizenship push bymikeadler staff- writer permanent resident cards for canadas landed immigrants were a sign for some in york region it was time to become a citizen of their new coun try says the head of an agency helping newcomers here the cards mandatory since janl for immigrants reentering canada also sparked frustration from residents who thought for many years their status was not an issue mario caua executive director of costi immigrant services said this week the agency experienced a flurry of activity in the fall as- it helped perma nent residents complete applications for the card which for some took as long as four months to arrive mr calla said enrolment in costts citizenship classes also increased as more people applied for citizenship he added it forced them to take a look at their status and do something about it announced as a securityboosting measure in 2002 the cards have been issued to 850000 permanent residents far short of the estimated 15 million in canada who may require it some are concerned permanent residents of the region on holiday or working for extended periods overseas could be inconvenienced as a result as of tuesday 55 people have been barred from flights returning to canada because they did riot produce a card said maria iadinardi a spokesperson for citizenship and immigration canada the card must be obtained in canada but permanent residents out of the country without one could obtain a temporary travel visa at a canadian visa office abroad the government has also posted migration integrity officers at airports to help permanent residents reenter canada provided they can prove their residency ms iadinardi said we had several contingency plans in place although ms iadinardi said visa offices would produce the temporary visas in a single day eric torsettlement coordiriator for the toronto chinese community services association in markham said the process normally takes about six weeks some immigrants believe they either will not have to leave canada or will become a citizen soon so they do not apply for the card mr to said stories of travellers stranded over seas will take time to surface predicted poornima mohan settlement council lor for awic another local- agency assisting newcomers the people that are stuck there are still stuck chris koddermann special con stituency assistant for markham mp john mccallum said his office assisted several dozen callers seeking informa tion on the cards in the past two months and helped speedup the applif cation process for some because they had travel plans a really generous plate of absolutely delicious tender bbqd grilled beef ribs liberally brushed with our famous bbq sauce these meaty big ribs are grilled to perfection served with all of the trimmings for only si 295 if youre actually hungry at the end of it all we dont think so well give you another rib serving on the house geterh while they last theres no telling how note this special runs lii- sunday jan 11th through a thursday jan 15th only we simply couldnt handle it on the weekends thats gonna bel tj v v 3q beer ribs with all of the v trim rti in es steilkwwmsk this price is valid from sunday january 1 1th 2004 through thursday january 15th 2004 96 richmond st w the sheraton centre 7501 woodbine at esna park 25 carlson court dixon rd at hvvy 27 4163664333 905 3051808 416 7984333 prices effective from saturday january 10th to friday january 16th 2004 at food basics 5221 highway 7 and 7700 markham road markham locations only