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IMMIGRATION NEWS - PAGE I
Minister Kenney announces immigration levels for
2009; Issues instructions on processing federal skilled workers
Ottawa, November 28, 2008 — Canada
will stay the course on immigration in 2009, welcoming between 240,000 and
265,000 new permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship,
Immigration and Multiculturalism, announced today.
“While countries such as the United Kingdom and
Australia are talking about taking fewer immigrants, our planned numbers for
2009 are on par with last year and are among the highest for this country over
the past 15 years,” Minister Kenney said. “The numbers reflect a continued
commitment to an immigration program that balances Canada’s economic,
humanitarian and family reunification goals.”
The 2009 plan includes up to 156,600 immigrants in the
economic category; 71,000 in the family category; and 37,400 in the
humanitarian category.
Minister Kenney also announced another step in
measures to improve the immigration program’s responsiveness to Canada’s
labour market. Retroactive to February 27, 2008, the date specified by the
Federal Budget, the Action Plan for Faster Immigration includes issuing
instructions to visa officers reviewing new federal skilled worker
applications to process those from candidates who:
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are in 38 high-demand occupations such as health,
skilled trades, finance and resource extraction; or
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have an offer of arranged employment or have already
been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or
international student.
The list of 38 occupations was developed after
consultations with the provinces and territories, business, labour and other
stakeholders. New federal skilled worker applications that do not meet the
eligibility criteria outlined above will not be processed, and the application
fee will be fully refunded. This, along with funds set aside in the 2008
Budget to improve the immigration system, will stop the backlog from growing
and will start to draw it down.
“The eligibility criteria apply only to new federal
skilled worker applicants and will not affect Canada’s family reunification or
refugee protection goals,” said Minister Kenney. “Applicants who aren’t
eligible for the federal skilled worker category may qualify under another
category, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, or as temporary foreign
workers, which could then put them on a path to permanent residency through
the new Canadian Experience Class. There are many ways to immigrate to
Canada.”
The Department has expanded its website in an effort
to make it easier for people to navigate the range of immigration options open
to them. The site now includes a specific section for employers
(www.cic.gc.ca/employers) and a new interactive tool
(www.cic.gc.ca/cometocanada) that matches information provided by potential
applicants with immigration programs that best suit their circumstances.
“We expect new federal skilled worker applicants,
including those with arranged employment, to receive a decision within six to
12 months compared with up to six years under the old system,” said Minister
Kenney. “All other economic class applications—including applicants chosen by
Quebec, provincial nominees, the Canadian Experience Class, and live-in
caregivers—will continue to be given priority.”
These improvements, coupled with a number of recent
initiatives that include the introduction of the Canadian Experience Class,
bring Canada in line with two of its main competitors for highly skilled
labour: Australia and New Zealand. Both of these countries have eliminated
their backlogs and have systems that deliver final decisions for economic
applicants within a year.
“The recent steps this Government has taken to improve
our immigration system will help ensure that Canada remains competitive
internationally and responsive to labour market needs domestically,” said
Minister Kenney.
For further information (media only), please
contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
http://www.cic.gc.ca
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