Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced plans Friday to halve the immigrant landing fee and make it easier for newcomers to find employment.

Speaking to an audience of new Canadians in Mississauga, Ont., Harper promised to follow up on his election pledge to slash the right of permanent residence fee from $975 to $490.

"This means immigrants and their families will get to keep more money in their pockets when they're starting a new life in Canada," Harper said.

Harper also announced an extra $300 million in settlement funding over two years, which will include the setting up of an agency to assess and recognize foreign credentials.

"Everybody wins when newcomers bring their skills and values to this country ... we need to make sure newcomers' skills, training and expertise are recognized and rewarded," he said.

"The goal for all of us will be to get those who are trained and ready to work in their fields of expertise into the workforce more quickly."

Overseas adoption

Harper also revealed plans to make it easier for Canadian parents to adopt children born in foreign countries.

"Our government is committed to streamlining the foreign adoption process," Harper said, adding that parents who adopt children outside of Canada face too many bureaucratic hurdles.

"Parents go to great effort and expense to bring these children into their families."

Harper said a bill being tabled Monday in the legislature would make it easier for parents who adopt children overseas to obtain Canadian citizenship for those youngsters.

The changes will come in the form of amendments to the Citizenship Act which will be introduced by Immigration Miniser Monte Solburg.

Friday's announcements come as the Tories move to woo immigrant communities, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area.

The GTA takes in around 40 per cent of new immigrants who come to Canada each year, but despite Harper's promise to cut the landing fee, the Conservatives were shut out of Toronto in the January elections.

The region is a crucial battleground for the Tories as they try to lure away enough Liberal seats to form a majority government.

In a seperate development, Ottawa said Thursday it would issue temporary residence permits to immigrants who had been smuggled into the country to work in the sex industry and other trades.

Police say between 600 and 800 people are smuggled into Canada each year, while a further 1,500 to 2,200 are trafficked through the country into the United States.

Solberg told Reuters Thursday that victims would be given temporary residence permits valid for 120 days and would be eligible for health-care benefits.

At the end of that period, they could either return to their home country or apply for another permit valid for up to five years.

"We're talking about a lot of people who are affected by it . . . it's an important start," he said.

Canada is the signatory to a 2003 United Nations trafficking protocol to protect and assist those caught up in the trade in human beings.