Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - March 2008
On March 14, 2008, the Government of Canada introduced legislative amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to modernize the immigration system, to ensure that families are reunited faster and skilled workers arrive sooner. The new rules place increased emphasis on the Foreign Worker Program.
According to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, one of the challenges facing our immigration system today is the large number of people waiting in the queue. This is especially a problem in the skilled worker category which makes up most of the backlog. The Department has been especially concerned that countries such as Australia and New Zealand current have wait times that are significantly more attractive than Canada. The new rules are expected to successfully compete with these programs.
Under the proposed measures, Citizenship and Immigration Canada would have greater flexibility in processing new applications, especially from skilled workers.
The legislation is intended to provide greater flexibility in addressing a range of labour market needs. It will not apply to refugees and does not affect our objectives related to family reunification.
Ultimately, this will result in reduced wait times and improved service. It will also help manage the growth of the backlog of applications.
Once passed, the new measures will apply to applications received on or after February 27, 2008.
Those who applied prior to February 27, 2008, will not be subject to the new measures and will be dealt with fairly under the existing rules.
Analysis of the new rules will be provided on this site on Friday March 21, 2008 once the text of the new legislation has been published.
Source: CIC Website
