Interesting story in the Vancouver Province http://www.theprovince.com/business/Feds+putting+freeze+skilled+worker+immigrant+investor+programs/6850692/story.html
Should be interesting if Kenney makes the announcement tomorrow that no new FSW1 or Investor applications will be accepted until January.
The budget bill also will eliminate about 280,000 visa applications submitted under the Federal Skilled Worker Program before February 2008 by refunding their application fees to the tune of $130 million. The move effectively will reduce the skilled worker backlog to about 110,000.
The government doesn't want to process new applications until it's dealt with the existing backlogs and put in place a "just-in-time" economic immigration system, probably by January.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is expected to announce the new directive in Calgary Thursday during a speech to the C.D. Howe Institute
He's less enthusiastic about the temporary pause on federal skilled workers, however, noting Canada needs people like nurses and pharmacists and that there's value in setting a predictable date on which the intake doors are opened.
He noted many already have couriered their applications and that this will mean more stress and additional costs for applicants.
Clogged condition for the Planners.
Good for the ones who are waiting.
Minister is trying to bring a healthy condition in the immigration system where they could breath easily with no suffocation of sick backlogging situation. Minister Kenney has been saying for months and years now that They are eyeing on applicants who are needed by Today's Canada; not at times when they applied half a decade/a decade ago.
Re: Moritorium on Skilled Worker and Investor Applications? (It is official)
Official CIC release
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-06-28.asp
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 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.
In this year's budget Ottawa announced plans to legislate away a backlog of 280,000 applications made under the skilled worker program before 2008. The government said it's a necessary part of modernizing the immigration system.
Even after removing all those applications, there are plenty of others still waiting, Kenney said.
"We still have 110,000 people waiting there. Why put more people at the back of that queue especially right now when we're returning 300,000 people's applications? There's just no point in any longer stockpiling people in the back of a backlog," he said.
"This is the last part of our backlog elimination strategy. As a result of this six-month pause, we will by next year have a very fast system."
The Immigrant Investor Program backlog stands at about 25,000 cases. It has come under scrutiny for allowing people to essentially buy their way into Canada without long-term benefit to the Canadian economy.
Kenney had already announced plans to overhaul the investor program and his intention is to consult with stakeholders, the provinces and territories on how best to reform it.
"We're not reducing the number of immigrants. We're just reducing the number of immigrants going into a queue."
Kenney acknowledged that some applicants will be unhappy about the delay, but he suggested they should hold on to their applications and reapply Jan. 1.
