What if?
November 24, 2008In a few days from now, the waiting will be over.
Not only will we know the fate of the Federal Skilled Worker applications submitted to the Canadian Visa Offices after February 27, 2008, (now in a suspended state) but we will also find out what lies in store for Skilled Worker applications that will be submitted in the coming twelve months. More to the point, we expect to soon learn which of these applications are going to be processed quickly; which ones are to be held at the Visa Office for processing at a later date, and finally, which applications are going to be returned without any consideration at all. This information will come via publicized instructions that the new Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism (now, there's a mouthful) will issue to the various Canadian Visa Offices.
Conventional wisdom has it that most Federal Skilled Worker candidates are in for some short to medium term disappointment. People, who are supposedly in the know, seem fairly certain that only applicants with work experience in a very limited number of occupations and candidates with jobs waiting for them in Canada can count on receiving permanent resident visas under the Federal Skilled Worker category of immigration in the coming year. As for the rest of the well-qualified individuals who desire to immigrate to Canada at this time... well, they will either have to find a Canadian employer willing to hire them or they will need to gain entry to Canada by qualifying under one of the other categories of Canadian immigration, say for example one of the Provincial Nomination Programs and the Business Immigration category.
Conventional wisdom usually gets it right, but not always. It's a longshot, but I'm not so sure that Jason Kenny, the Minister of Immigration for the newly elected Conservative government will issue instructions that choke-off the main source of economic immigration to Canada.
A little history is in order here.
During the previous sitting of Parliament, the minority Conservative government tabled a budget bill that included sweeping powers for the Minister of Immigration. Under the guise of needing to revamp the immigration process, the Minister would be permitted to pick and choose applications to be processed (or not processed) based solely on his/her opinion instead of on the fair, first-come first-served system, as provided for under the immigration laws in place. I call it a guise because if the Conservatives wanted only to streamline the immigration processing system they could have done so by utilizing the existing provisions of the immigration legislation. The current law has a regulating mechanism to control the flow of applications and allows for open and closed occupations to further restrict the number of applicants.
In my opinion, the real reason for inserting the immigration amendments into the budget bill was to try and goad the opposition Liberal Party into voting against it, which would then have triggered an election... something the Conservatives wanted to happen. But surely, Liberal Members of Parliament would stand up for their core constituency of new Canadians and vote against the legislation that might subject them to the use of capricious power. Well, guess what? Both the Conservatives and the Canadian ethnic communities underestimated the wobbliness of Liberals' knees. Enough of them went absent from the House of Commons to ensure passage of the budget bill and Parliament shut down for the summer. Before it would reconvene, the Conservatives decided to by-pass tradition and the law. They called an election on their own for October and won... sort of.
The Conservatives didn't get the majority they were seeking and once again we are governed by a minority Conservative government. Given the speed with which the Liberals turfed their leader following the election, I'd say that they are looking for another kick at the can and we'll probably be going to the polls again (perish the thought) in another year or so.
Here's where it gets interesting.
While Canadians in general did not sufficiently trust the Conservatives to hand them the keys to the kingdom, the Canadian ethnic communities finally began warming to them. Heck, Conservatives even won a number of seats (and came very close in others) where new Canadians make up a significant portion of the electorate. What if Prime Minister Harper and the Conservatives determine that the path to a majority government leads right through Canada's growing ethnic communities? Then just maybe it's not a good idea to restrict the entry of economic immigrants and give the opposition parties the opportunity to characterize you as stifling the very communities that can put you over the top.
33 Comments:
great post!!
best of luck to all
OMG! I am planning to submit my application next month under the Federal Skilled Worker program!! I am worried now!
At this time, Canada needs God to put things in place for her, so she would not misfire. Amen.
In a few days from now? Do you have a date? And how do you have a date? I didn't think anyone knew when they were going to release details of the new rules. I submitted my application as a skilled worker last month. I really hope the rules will benefit me! I'm a bit lost if I can't move to Canada.
I submitted my application last month i hope everything goes the way i planned, and good luck to all.
Oh dear Canadian Government!!!...we hope you actually turn down our skilled worker application as your Government is not worthy of our skills and wealth which are now being put into plan B......you have dithered so long with peoples lives and futures in this farcical manner of changing the rules and timeframes to suit your own pockets. Make no mistake, we are bagging Canada to all our many friends and business associates and instead promoting the country where we are 100% now heading and should have from the begining. We feel very sorry for the hundreds of thousands who are about to be sorely let down by near useless attitude and ignorance of a country such as canada in government.
Could this be the list? http://workingincanada.gc.ca/public_html/TopTen.jsp
I HOPE THE NEW CIC MINISTER ALSO HELPS SOME TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER IN A LOW SKILLED AND SEMI SKILLED CATEGORY TO BECOME PERMANENT RESIDENCE OF CANADA. BECAUSE MOST OF THE TFW ARE VERY INDUSTRIOUS AND DEDICATED TO THEIR ASSIGNED TASKS ESPECIALLY THE FILIPINO WORKERS. THANKS A LOT
please be fair to everyone especially to foreign workers
No wonder why my friends sister's application got held-up because of this bureucracy it's been 3 years at lease since they have submitted their papers. And yet everywhere you go to there is shortage of nurses. I often wondered why Canadian Embassy in the Philippines can't just let these skilled workers come in Canada to ease the shortage of staff specially in the healthcare sector.
WHAO!!!
THEN AFRICA ENTRY SHOULD BE GIVEN AN ANTICIPATION OF 10 YEARS BEFORE CONSIDERATION AT ALL THLS MUST BE A VERY RIDICULOUS PLAN. ANYWAY GOD WOULD HELP YPU GUYS
I want to change the policy of IELTS which is compulsary for immigration.It should not be ompulsary as it was before 2001.At that time total points were 70 to qualify for Immigration.
Gents,
Canada is a great country, and I'm sure they will come up with a fair law, I myself have been waiting 4 and a half year to get my application answer, and still waiting, all well that ends well, good luck to all of you guys, ..
Well, the Minister of Immigration just published the long-awaited instructions with respect to the processing of Federal Skilled Worker applications. As expected, the list of "open occupations" is limited at this time. Like I said in my blog it would be a longshot for the minority Conservative Government to have done anything else...and I guess longshots rarely come in the money.
So for now, people will have to get more creative in their efforts to immigrate to Canada. But it's still quite possible to succeed if you are determined enough. I have a great deal of confidence in and admiration for the fortitude and character of anyone who sets out to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Good luck to all !
Why are conservatives everywhere Xenophobes? The list is out and I missed it by one digit of the NOC code. So thats it for me, after months of waiting..I am deeply disappointed. Not really sure what to do now.
come late but come right
i think the decision on federal skilled worker has been delayed but now we hope that it will be right and justified.
(skilled worker from pakistan)
What a tragedy for many of us. Even though this new ‘unfair’ instructions do not apply to as I applied about 2 years ago, I feel very sorry for those who are subject to the elimination. I really understand what the leaders of the Conservative government don’t ! Canada, for many of us, is not just a wonderful place to live in. It is more than that. I lived in Canada, as an International student for about 14 months, and I considered it like home. To live there again is more than a dream.
We, as applicants, all seek a better life for ourselves and our families, and we are ready to bring our expertise to this country accompanied by our hopes for a better life full of hope, freedom and inspiration. That is what the leaders don’t ‘want’ to understand.
Good luck friends. Keep trying, as clouds can never cover the sunlight. The sun will raise again. Be sure of that.
God help us all.
I have just seen a list of the jobs that still qualify to have their applications processed - it really is a handful that they have included and our professions are not. We handed in our application form a few months ago - along with our R8000 - alot of money. And now to hear that they will not even consider processing our application is a disgrace. The Visa office did not inform us of this possibility at the time of application and as such should refund us our money - they have received R8000 for doing nothing !!! I am appauled by this !
Where does one find this list of occupations. We have applied in June 2008 and are now seriously worried
Awesome post. Could you please provide a link to the list. Thx.
List of 38 occupations:
http://www.canadavisa.com/minister-kenney-instructions-skilled-worker-081128.html
Hi,
I have just seen the list of 38 occupations published by the ministry. I am bit concerned with the code 0213. I fall under categories 2171 and 2173. These categories come under Classified elsewhere section of 0213. Can anyone please guide me, will the immigration authority consider the codes I fall in or it is
specifically for 0213??
Thanks,
Bikram Cheema
With its backward and inefficient system (I use the term loosely; a system would indicate some sort of organisation), Canada is losing out to Australia and New Zealand hand-over-fist. Their processing time is for a skilled migration is 12 months (a quarter of the time it takes the Canadians to do the same thing! The reason being, they actually dedicate resources and policy time to the issue and make it a priority to attract top quality immigrants; unlike the Canadians who just say how keen they are to attract immigrants and then do nothing to improve efficiency.
It is time the Canadian government stop wasting literally years of people's valuable working (and tax-paying) lives, get out of this torpor they are in and do some aggressive reforming of the immigration system.
We have a life to get on with; careers unfortunately have to move a little faster than the Columbia ice-field. Canada has lost us to Australia and it will continue to lose MANY others
I hope CIC will lower the points requried to 59. My permanent residence visa was refused and they let me wait for 4 1/2 years for nothing. Please be more considerate. There are a lot of illegal people staying in Canada but those with proper papers should be accepted even if they didn't meet the 67 points required. Have some compassion.
Hi Folks,
God has destined something for everyone. Trust HIM and follow the legal procedure to immigrate.
I have submitted my application in September and I am a university proffesor. I read the new instructions but I don't understand what wiil happen next. If anybody knows, please tell me whether they send us now or we have to wait for our turn to come. They have'nt told me whether they have my application and I am wooried for that. God bless all and wishes to everybody to get what dream about.
thus canada immigration want to do something for us who are already here in canada, all of us wants to be an immigrant here, even though we are just categorize as a semi skilled here in canada, can the immigration lessen there restrictions on how to become immigrant that there will be no more skilled and semi skilled just all equal, thinking that we are just the same. HUMAN that has different kinds of skill, they can do things that we can't do but there are also things that we can do that they can't. sometimes i am just thinking we are just the UNLUCKY ONES here in canada the land of immigrant.
The Canandian immigration office should try and inform applicants who have waited for upwards of three years if they are not qualified for the immigration and end the frustration and Refund their money. Most applicants have lost the expected excitement in immigrating to Canada as a result of the endless new requirements which did not exist as at the time the applications were submitted
hopefully everything will be alright we cannot force the immigration, just wait what will happen next, no matter what we do, we just need to trust them that they are all doing this for good. And they have there own plans just wait and think positive for all of this, because we cannot do anything, just hope maybe someday they will hear us.
The "27 Feb" is a shocking decision. I am wondering, how can it is imposed backwardly!! while should be effective on or after the date of the approval.
For me, as a media & content consultant in Saudi Arabia(skilled worker), I was working on bringing many benefits to Canada by promoting the Canadian education and immigration to the Middle East(not a job seeker).
I am not sure I can continue loving Canada afterwards as I used to do!!.
The question: Is there any way, any effort or any legal action can cancel this disaster?!
I hope that the Canadian businesses warm up and get the Conservatives down out!!
I am really upset about this decision. I applied in March 2008 (London) with having more than 20 years legal administration experience and a law degree. My cheque was cashed in April and a file number given, and to find out that I no longer qualify is heartbreaking. If they knew that this rule was being applied in retro they should have just returned our applications and cheques if they knew what professions were on the list. I guess we won't get any interest back on our refunds!
Same here, I made my application in March 2008 because I was qualified under the rules at that time, and now, my application is returned with the new rules applied retrospectively. How could they do that??? I am very much disappointed.
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