News Release - more changes to immigration system

[Steph C]

This is a quote from here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-06-28.asp?utm_source=media-centre-email&utm_medium=email-eng&utm_campaign=generic


Calgary, June 28, 2012 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today announced the latest step in re-designing Canada’s economic immigration system.

Effective July 1st, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will place a temporary pause on new applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and federal Immigrant Investor Program (IIP).

“We have been making lots of changes to our economic immigration system,” said Minister Kenney. “We will take the next six months to do a lot of the heavy lifting to get us closer to a fast and flexible immigration system.”

The pause will allow CIC to make important changes to its economic immigration programs before accepting more applications. This is an important step in moving towards a faster, more flexible immigration system, while immigration levels are at a historic high.

Since the launch of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2012, Minister Kenney has announced a series of changes to CIC’s economic immigration programs. They include:

eliminating the backlog of old FSWP applications;
improving the selection of FSWs;
creating a new Federal Skilled Trades Program;
modifying the Canadian Experience Class to help transition successful skilled temporary workers to permanent residence;
changing business immigration programs to target more active investment in Canadian growth companies and more innovative entrepreneurs; and
moving towards a new application management system, to develop a pool of skilled workers who arrive in Canada ready to begin employment.
“This temporary pause on new Federal Skilled Worker applications will allow us to set the program on a new course as we intend to launch revised selection criteria soon,” said Minister Kenney. “The pause has no impact on the number of workers Canada admits into the country, as CIC continues to process applications already received. Current immigration remains at historically high levels.”

Application intake is expected to resume in January 2013, when the proposed FSWP regulatory changes – which will be published in the Canada Gazette in the coming months – are expected to come into force.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act allows the Minister to issue special instructions to immigration officers to enable the Government of Canada to best attain its immigration goals. Since the 2008 Action Plan for Faster Immigration, four sets of “Ministerial Instructions” have been issued relating to Economic Class applications.

Under this fifth set of Ministerial Instructions, CIC will also introduce a pause on new federal IIP applications. This pause will remain in place until further notice, allowing the Department to make progress on processing its existing inventory.

As Minister Kenney announced earlier in April, CIC will be consulting with provinces, territories and stakeholders on ways to reform the current IIP in order to maximize the economic benefit to Canada. The Department is also consulting on whether to create a new investor program on a short-term basis, to promote growth in the Canadian economy.

The temporary pause on FSWP applications does not apply to candidates with offers of arranged employment or those applying under the PhD eligibility stream. The full set of Ministerial Instructions will be available online in the Canada Gazette tomorrow.

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Photo of Minister Kenney will be available later today at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexis Pavlich
Minister's Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

 

[Fencesitter]

At least it won't affect family class applicants. I sure hope they don't come up with any bright ideas for us. If they do, hopefully it will be for the good!!!

 

[Farfelu]

I hope that they'd be able to at least reduce their current backlog in all categories so they can allocate those resources to the other streams, like the Family Class.

 

[Fencesitter]

Forget about the other streams! In my view, there is only ONE stream that should be the priority ahead of all others: FAMILY CLASS SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP! No other stream of immigration comes close to the importance of the family class, and I suppose that's why they have it as their motto, though you wouldn't know it by the recent slow down for stage 1 sponsorship approval.

There are just too many different immigration streams and they really ought to reform the whole system and not do it piecemeal. More resources should be given to family class, and the other streams should be processed in a way that doesn't create such a major bottleneck!

Just my 2 cents on the matter....

FS

 

[KJG]

Forget about the other streams! In my view, there is only ONE stream that should be the priority ahead of all others: FAMILY CLASS SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP! No other stream of immigration comes close to the importance of the family class, and I suppose that's why they have it as their motto, though you wouldn't know it by the recent slow down for stage 1 sponsorship approval.

There are just too many different immigration streams and they really ought to reform the whole system and not do it piecemeal. More resources should be given to family class, and the other streams should be processed in a way that doesn't create such a major bottleneck!

Just my 2 cents on the matter....

FS

I agree totally FS!!

 

[heybuddy]

Forget about the other streams! In my view, there is only ONE stream that should be the priority ahead of all others: FAMILY CLASS SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP! No other stream of immigration comes close to the importance of the family class, and I suppose that's why they have it as their motto, though you wouldn't know it by the recent slow down for stage 1 sponsorship approval.

There are just too many different immigration streams and they really ought to reform the whole system and not do it piecemeal. More resources should be given to family class, and the other streams should be processed in a way that doesn't create such a major bottleneck!

Just my 2 cents on the matter....

FS

I totally agree as well; spousal reunification should be at the top of priority.

 

[Isometry]

Calgary, June 28, 2012 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today announced the latest step in re-designing Canada's economic immigration system.

Effective July 1st, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will place a temporary pause on new applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and federal Immigrant Investor Program (IIP).

While I'm obviously biased towards family class immigration, I don't like how they're only giving 3 days notice that they're not accepting new applications. It's like what happened with parental sponsorship. I feel bad for anyone who had their application almost ready to go and was just waiting on their FBI check or w/e--sorry, too bad!

 

[Steph C]

While I'm obviously biased towards family class immigration, I don't like how they're only giving 3 days notice that they're not accepting new applications. It's like what happened with parental sponsorship. I feel bad for anyone who had their application almost ready to go and was just waiting on their FBI check or w/e--sorry, too bad!

True! But then again, those people aren't entitled to getting a work visa. I understand the need for workers but it's hard to grasp when the job market is so tight. Maybe if Canada put some more effort into funding education for their citizens I could have a doctor that I could actually understand once in awhile.

 

[ccunnington]

True! But then again, those people aren't entitled to getting a work visa. I understand the need for workers but it's hard to grasp when the job market is so tight. Maybe if Canada put some more effort into funding education for their citizens I could have a doctor that I could actually understand once in awhile.

Ya that is so true! One thing I do agree with, is that Canadian Companies should look into our own unemployed pool through the EI system before being allowed to hire temporary foreign workers.

I agree with everyone else in that Spousal sponsorship should take priority over any other kind of immigration.

 

[Steph C]

Ya that is so true! One thing I do agree with, is that Canadian Companies should look into our own unemployed pool through the EI system before being allowed to hire temporary foreign workers.

I agree with everyone else in that Spousal sponsorship should take priority over any other kind of immigration.

You know what though, it's not that cut-and-dry. A lot of the people applying through spousal category were hired through the work visa program and then got their PR, immediately to sponsor their families.

 

[Isometry]

True! But then again, those people aren't entitled to getting a work visa. I understand the need for workers but it's hard to grasp when the job market is so tight. Maybe if Canada put some more effort into funding education for their citizens I could have a doctor that I could actually understand once in awhile.

Maybe, but at least give them some warning. There's gotta be hundreds of people who have already spent a lot of time, effort, and money putting together their applications, just to be cut off at the last minute. Announcing this even a month earlier would be better than 3 days.

 

[Steph C]

Realistically they didn't have 3 days. The weekend doesn't count, and unless they mailed it immediately on Thursday, which was probably already Friday in their country, chances are the application package wouldn't even reach Canada by Monday.