Nov 2, 2012 | Immigration, In the News, New Laws, Processing Times, Skilled Workers
In an attempt to clear up the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker applications, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) issued a pause on all new Federal Skilled Worker applications as of July 2, 2012. This pause prevented thousands of federal skilled workers from applying for immigration to Canada as it requires foreign workers to have a qualifying job offer or to qualify under the PhD stream.
Many actions have been taken by the government in order to fix the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker applications and allow more federal skilled workers and their families to immigrate to Canada. The Action Plan for Faster Immigration of 2008 was the first step taken by CIC to limit the number of federal skilled worker applications to only occupations which were a priority. CIC took further action to limit the federal skilled worker applications in 2010 and again in 2012 with the Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act. The final step to put a stop to the backlog problem was to place a pause on all new federal skilled worker applications.
Now, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has announced a new plan which will allow for faster processing times for federal skilled worker applications as well as the possibility of faster processing times for additional immigration programs. In an effort to attract federal skilled workers from around the globe and promote economic growth, CIC will be introducing an Expression of Interest (EOI) system for federal skilled workers. With this system in place, federal skilled workers and their families will have the option of immigrating to Canada and having their immigration applications processed in a period of 12 months or less. This is a huge improvement over the old system which made federal skilled workers wait for years, some as long as eight years, to have their applications processed.
As a result of this new immigration program and the steps taken over the last few years, the backlog of federal skilled worker applications is expected to be cleared by the end of 2014 which will allow new applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program to be processed as they are received. This new system for processing applications – “a just in time system” – will bring between 53,500 and 55,300 Federal Skilled Workers and their families into Canada. Minister Kenney has stated that “Immigration plays a vital role in our country’s long-term prosperity. By improving our economic immigration system, we can ensure that Canada is competitive on the world stage.” Allowing federal skilled workers to enter the work field more easily and quickly will contribute to Canada’s economic growth and allow Canadian employers to fill shortages in high skill occupations. This new plan is excellent news both for Canada and for federal skilled workers wishing to immigrate to Canada.
More information regarding this new system along with the final regulatory changes and the new selection criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program will become available later this year.
We would like to hear from you. Tell us what you think about this new immigration system for federal skilled workers and their families. If you are a federal skilled worker or you know anyone who may benefit from this new plan, we urge you to share, tweet, like, and comment on this issue.
For more information about immigration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, contact our office to speak with a certified immigration consultant and find out if you qualify as a federal skilled worker.
Mar 30, 2012 | In the News, Legally Speaking, New Laws, Processing Times, Skilled Workers
On March 22 we posted an article in which we discussed what Citizenship & Immigration Minister Jason Kenney considered would be an option to reduce the current processing times and never-ending backlog. Today, we are continuing our discussion on this topic.
In releasing Canada’s Budget on Thursday March 29, the Department of Finance revealed that Immigration Canada intends to bar the door to applicants who submitted their Skilled Worker applications before 2008. We were under the impression that Minister Kenney’s ‘consideration’ was only such; however we are now beginning to understand more about the “Economic Action Plan of 2012”.
In a media release the Government of Canada is “proposing to return applications and refund up to $130 million in application fees paid by certain federal skilled worker applicants who applied under previous criteria established prior to February 27, 2008”. Canada’s commitment to transforming Canada’s immigration system to a faster and more flexible one will kill the hopes and dreams of thousands of foreign nationals who have been waiting for their applications to be processed for years, some waiting for more than 10 years.
In order to reduce long processing times and a large backlog, Citizenship & Immigration Canada introduced a new set of criteria under Bill C-50. The changes included a yearly quota of 20,000 applications in certain preferred occupations. A year later CIC reduced the quota to 10,000 applications per year. As a result less applications were filed, however the large backlog still remains and those in the pipeline are and will continue to wait for an indefinite period of time. Now we know that these applicants will never have their applications processed. They will be returned and money they paid will be refunded.
A class-action law suit was filed against the Federal Government by several applicants which has now grown to more than 600. We are expecting this number to continue to climb as applicants become aware of this news.
Economic Action Plan 2012 proposes:
- Taking further actions to strengthen the immigration system to make it truly proactive, targeted, fast and efficient in a way that will sustain Canada’s economic growth and deliver prosperity for the future.
- Announcing the Government’s intention to better align the Temporary Foreign Worker Program with labour market demands and to ensure that businesses look to the domestic labour force before accessing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
- Signalling the Government’s intention to support further improvements to foreign credential recognition and to work with provinces and territories to identify the next set of target occupations for inclusion, beyond 2012, under the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
- Proposing to return applications and refund up to $130 million in fees paid by certain federal skilled worker applicants who applied under previous criteria established prior to February 27, 2008.
Tell us what you think! We want to hear from you – comment and share this article below!
Did you submit your application prior to February 27, 2008? How long have you been waiting? How do you feel that your application will never be processed?
