Canada: Changes to Federal Skilled Worker Program
Description
On 28 June 2010, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced several changes to the Federal Skilled Workers Program. For applications received later than 26 June 2010, the following regulatory changes apply:
- Elimination of visa category for temporary foreign workers and international students living in Canada for one year. Foreigners living in Canada may no longer apply for permanent residency under the previous scheme. Instead, they must now fulfill the general criteria of the Federal Skilled Workers Program.
- Number of non-arranged employment cases capped. From 1 July 2010, the CIC will not accept more than a total of 20,000 applications without arranged employment. In addition, no single occupation may receive more than 1,000 applications.
- List of eligible occupations reduced. Under the new regulation 29 occupations qualify for an application. Prior to the change, 38 occupations were eligible.
- Mandatory language tests. Proficiency in either English or French must now be certified at the first stage of the application. Previously, this requirement was imposed on the second stage.
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered:
Implemented: Yes
Date of inception: 26 Jun 2010
GTA Evaluation: Red
Source:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (28 June 2010). Operational Bulletin 218. Available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2010/ob218.asp
Citizenship and Immigration Canada. (28 June 2010). Eligibility criteria for federal skilled worker applications. Available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who-instructions.asp
Government Response:
- 317 reads
