Few days back, I wrote an e-mail to CIC minister "Jason Keny", drawing his attention towards long delays of 2007 Pakistani applicants. I got the following e-mail from his office, that I'm posting here for all:
I am replying to your email of March 1, 2010, addressed to the Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, about the processing of your application for permanent residence as a skilled worker. I apologize for this delayed response.
I appreciate your wish to have your application finalized as soon as possible. I understand your frustration at what appear to be unwarranted delays in processing. We do make every effort to deal with the applications we receive in the most efficient and effective way; however, the number of applications we receive on a daily basis sometimes make it difficult to finalize them as quickly as we would like.
As you are aware, your application was received at the visa office in Islamabad on April 17, 2007. Our statistical data for the period January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2009, indicates that 80 percent of applications were processed within 73 months from the date the application was received at this visa office in Islamabad. However, this information is historical, and past processing times may not indicate the length of time it will take to finalize applications in the future.
While I cannot provide you with a time frame for your case to be finalized, I assure you that you will be informed as soon as visa officers are in a position to review your application and determine if additional information or documentation is required.
As you are aware, with changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, federal skilled worker applications received on or after February 27, 2008, will be assessed for eligibility according to a set of instructions issued by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. It is expected that applicants will receive a decision within six to twelve months from the date their application was received at the visa office.
The Ministerial Instructions, which are based on input from the provinces and territories, the public, business, labour and non-governmental organizations, allow Canada to better respond to labour market needs. They do not apply to applications received prior to February 27, 2008. These cases will continue to be processed according to the legislation in force at the time the applications were received.
The first set of Ministerial Instructions was issued on November 28, 2008, and came into effect immediately. If you applied before the new law came into effect, and you would be eligible for processing according to the criteria in the Ministerial Instructions, you can choose to either maintain the first application and submit a new application with a new processing fee; or withdraw the first application and submit a new application. If an applicant chooses to withdraw their first application before processing begins, they will receive a refund for the processing fee.
Please note that the eligibility criteria outlined in the Ministerial Instructions are meant to reflect Canada’s labour market needs. As these needs change, new instructions will be issued. You can visit our Web site from time to time to find out if there are changes.
Thank you for taking the time to write. I regret that my response cannot be more favourable.