Ottawa, July 3, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today released details of consultations on Canada’s immigration priorities, following the passage of changes to Canada’s immigration legislation under Budget Bill C-50.

The new law is intended to stop the growth of the backlog of applicants so that, ultimately, people who want to come to Canada receive a decision within 6 to 12 months instead of the 6 years it can take now. The new law also more closely aligns Canada’s immigration system with labour shortages so that immigrants who come to Canada will have more opportunities to find employment in their chosen fields.

The consultations will focus on identifying critical occupational shortages, the role of immigration in responding to them, and any barriers to foreign credential accreditation.

They will help develop instructions to immigration officers on which applications are identified for priority processing, particularly in the federal skilled worker category.

“The changes to Canada’s immigration law allow us to bring to Canada more quickly those immigrants with the skills that match Canada’s labour market needs,” said Minister Finley. “We are now consulting to make sure we accurately define those needs. This will help our economy and help newcomers better support their families.”

Beginning July 7th, the Department will consult with all provinces and territories, as well as key stakeholders, through a series of face-to-face meetings and videoconferences. Representatives from business, labor, and academic and non-government organizations will be invited to these sessions.

The Minister will also consult national stakeholders at a roundtable in August.

“We committed to consulting across the country and we are delivering on that commitment,” said Minister Finley. “I believe this inclusive approach will help identify the categories of workers who get priority, and will allow us to prepare instructions that reflect the knowledge and expertise of the provinces, territories and stakeholders.”

Following consultations, the instructions will be published in the Canada Gazette and available on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website. They will also be tabled in Parliament as part of the Annual Report on Immigration.

Source: www.cic.gc.ca