08-05-2014
Citizenship and Immigration Canada placed limits on the number of permitted applicants for certain immigration categories in order to ensure the case-load remains manageable to prevent major backlogs in applications, and to streamline the management of open applications. These program caps will be in effect for the next year. The submission of applications for these economic classes as soon as possible is recommended to ensure applications are processed before the program cap is reached.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program has imposed a cap of 25,500 applications that will be in effect until April 30, 2015. In addition, there is also a limit to the number of applications that will be processed for individual occupations within the program, with no more than 1,000 applications for each eligible profession being considered. Applicants applying to the Federal Skilled Worker Program through the PhD and Graduate student stream face are further limited, as only 500 of these applications will be processed. Individuals who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer are exempt from these caps.
Under the Federal Skilled Trades Class, only 5,000 applicants to this program will be considered. Like the Federal Skilled Worker Program, caps have also been imposed on the individual occupations under the program. For each of the ninety eligible occupations under the program, only 100 applications will be processed.
Applicants to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) face caps on the total number of applications, and some occupations under the program have their own caps as well. Overall, 8,000 applications to the Canadian Experience Class will be considered. Particular occupations, primarily those that are classified as technical or skilled occupations, also have a cap imposed of 200 applications per occupation. Occupations that are considered to be managerial or professional are not capped at the occupation level, but the overall cap applies in these cases as well.
The status of the Federal Investor Class and the Federal Entrepreneur Class remain unchanged, and both programs are not accepting new applications at this time.
For prospective immigrants who are considering applying for permanent residency in Canada through one of these immigration programs, it is recommended that applications be prepared and submitted as soon as possible to ensure the processing of the application before the maximum number of applications is reached and applications are cut off. Applicants to these programs should obtain legal advice to ensure that they are eligible for the program they are interested in and to ensure their application is completed as accurately and efficiently as possible.
FWCanada is a Montreal-based immigration law firm that provides professional legal services on Canadian immigration. For more tips and updates on Canadian immigration follow FWCanada on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.
