As you may be aware, changes were made to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which affect applications submitted on or after February 27, 2008. Since your application was received on or after this date, your application is subject to these amendments.
Section 87.3(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act stipulates that
The processing of applications and requests is to be conducted in a manner that, in the opinion of the Minister, will best support the attainment of the immigration goals established by the Government of Canada.
Section 87.3(3) further states that
For the purposes of subsection (2), the Minister may give instructions with respect to the processing of applications and requests, including instructions
establishing categories of applications or requests to which the instructions apply;
establishing an order, by category or otherwise, for the processing of applications or requests;
setting the number of applications or requests, by category or otherwise, to be processed in any year; and
providing for the disposition of applications and requests, including those made subsequent to the first application or request.
Please note that the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has issued instructions which were published in the Canada Gazette on November 28th, 2008. These instructions identify which applications are eligible to be processed.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who.asp
According to the Minister’s instructions, your application is eligible for processing if:
* you have an offer of arranged employment, OR
* you are a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student, OR
* you are a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or more of the occupations listed here
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who-instructions.asp#list