Initially postponed in March, these prestigious national awards have always been an important celebration of diversity and the significance of coming together as Canadians. Now, more than ever, these positive stories show we are all in this together.

To continue to spread positivity and share the stories of this year’s top 75 finalists, the event will be held virtually at canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25. Canadian Immigrant invites all Canadians to learn more about these inspirational finalists and to cast a vote for their favourites.

The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards program has been the leader in highlighting inspiring stories of immigrants from across Canada, and honouring them with the only national award celebrating immigrant success. Past winners over the last 11 years have come from all backgrounds, professions and countries of origin, and share something in common — they are all role models who have worked to make Canada a better place.

“Past winners often tell us how special and meaningful this award is to them, as it’s a celebration of not only their achievements, but of their entire immigration journey,” says Sanjay Agnihotri, publisher of Canadian Immigrant. “This year’s finalists may be facing extra professional and personal challenges during this global pandemic, and we hope the awards will serve as a point of hope, inspiration and pride in these difficult times.”

This year’s shortlist of 75 represent diverse ethnic communities, cities and industries, and were chosen from among hundreds of nominations. The judging panel, composed of past winners and finalists, was selected in February 2020.

“As members of the community, we’ve seen first hand the obstacles many newcomers face when coming to a new country,” says Amit Brahme, Senior Director, Newcomer Client Strategy, RBC. “Facing these challenges in the wake of a global crisis is no easy feat but the courage and resilience of so many newcomers is both moving and inspiring. The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards celebrates these remarkable individuals.”

This year, RBC will be donating $50,000 to Windmill Microlending, a charity that helps internationally-trained newcomers pay for the Canadian credentials they need. The donation will specifically support re-accreditation of 50 internationally-trained immigrants in the healthcare profession who are helping on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19.

”This year’s donation to Windmill Microlending helps newcomers establish credentials to build their careers in Canada,” adds Brahme. “We’re proud to provide the extra support they need on this journey to a new life in Canada.”

The public can now vote for up to three of their favourite finalists online at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until August 7th, 2020.

For the sixth year, title sponsor RBC will also recognize one of the 25 winners who demonstrate excellence in business with the RBC Entrepreneur Award. And, for the fourth year, the Youth Award will recognize the achievements of immigrant youth (between ages 15 and 30) who are making a difference in their adopted country and show great potential in further building this nation. Similar to our RBC Entrepreneur Award, the Youth Award will be an additional honour given to one of the RBC Top 25 winners. No separate votes are required.

Also returning in 2020 is the third annual Settlement Agency Award, which aims to recognize the impact these agencies have in helping newcomers succeed. The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards will crown one settlement agency winner based on Canada’s votes. The award program is proudly supported by title sponsor RBC Royal Bank.

All the award winners will be announced on September 8th, 2020 on www.canadianimmigrant.ca and in the September issue of Canadian Immigrant magazine.

Each winner will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 will be donated on their behalf to Windmill Microlending as part of the $50,000 donation.

This year’s media partners are CityTV, Toronto Star, Metro Newspaper, Metroland Community papers, Sing Tao and OMNI Television.

About Canadian Immigrant

Attracting more than 400,000 readers each month and over 100,000 visitors a month online, Canadian Immigrant is a national multimedia platform to help immigrants succeed in Canada, with content, resources and events on careers, education and settlement. Canadian Immigrant is the producer of the cross-country Canadian Immigrant Fairs. Canadian Immigrant is a division of Metroland Media Group, a dynamic media company with more than 100 community and daily newspapers in print and online, as well as innovative websites including wheels.ca, goldbook.ca, save.ca and localwork.ca. Learn more at canadianimmigrant.ca.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 84,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.