CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Government of Canada Tables 2010 Immigration Plan

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

During Citizenship and Immigration Canada's 2009 Annual Report, Jason Kenny, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, praised the Canadian government for maintaining its immigration levels to meet the country's medium- to long-term economic needs.

In an effort to salvage and maintain Canada's economy, the focus of 2010 is on economic immigration, which sees an estimated 240,000 to 265,000 being granted Canadian permanent residence.

This is great news for immigrants nominated by provinces and territories, as the number of admissions under these categories has increased. Increasing the admission ranges in the Provincial Nominee program is essential because it helps to align labour market needs; ensures that benefits of immigration are evenly allotted across the country; encourages a teamed effort from provinces to manage growth; and allows CIC to continue to decrease the backlog of federal skilled worker applicants as part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration.

Under this new Action Plan, the processing time for applications for the federal skilled worker program is now six to twelve months. In addition, applications for the federal skilled worker program have decreased 30%, from 630,000 to 425,000. Even though this backlog consists of people who applied before February 27, 2008 and includes an additional 240,000 applicants who have applied to the new federal skilled worker program, the number of applications being processed is still 12% lower than when the Action Plan took effect.

Minister Kenny credits the reduction of the backlog to the fact that only applications that meet specified criteria are being processed. He explained, "Before we changed the system, we had to process every application received. Since many more people applied every year than could be accepted, a backlog was created." The improvement of the Federal skilled worker program is part of the Government of Canada's overall commitment to enhance the immigration system to maximize its contribution to our total economic growth.

According to Minister Kenny, "The Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories and stakeholders to make sure immigration meets the needs of communities, employers and families now and in the future."

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.