Just to share an email sent by the Canadian Embassy for an inquiry made by one of my friends. Based on this email, Kehr might be right in saying that pre-june applicants might be in for a longer waiting period.
Dear Applicant:
Your application is in queue for review. An exact review schedule is not yet available and no further action is required by you at this time.
Please be informed that changes to immigration law in 2008 allow Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to set, through Ministerial Instructions (MI), the number and type of applications considered for processing each year, and the order in which these applications will be processed.
Under the first set of instructions (MI-1) CIC used this new authority under immigration law to control the type of applications received, but not the number. The number of applications received exceed the ability to process them in a timely way. CIC introduced caps on June 26, 2010 on the FSW program as part of the second MI. CIC has limited the intake of new FSW applications to better match the number CIC can actually process within the annual levels plan tabled in Parliament. FSW applications under the second MI are processed on a priority basis.
CIC has received enough FSW applications since February 27, 2008 to reach immigration levels for the next two years. Unfortunately, it will take longer to process those submitted under the first set of instructions than originally projected. This number represents more than twice the number of projected admissions under the program in 2011. Therefore, few applications received before February 27, 2008 (processed in the order they are received) are expected to be processed this year or next.
CIC's goal is to make the immigration system more responsive to labour market needs. By giving priority to FSW applications received on or after June 26, 2010, CIC is responding to the most urgent labour market needs first. The length of time it takes to finalize an application under this program varies from one visa office to another since visa offices face different challenges. CIC continues to work towards global service standards and the use of departmental standard forms to minimize such regional variations as much as possible.
We hope that you will find this information satisfactory in responding to your questions and concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Skilled Worker Unit - Section des travailleurs qualifiés
Immigration Section - Bureau de visa
Canadian Embassy, Manila - Ambassade du Canada
