Your response remids me pre express entry situation. Approximately in 2015.
Due to heavy backlog the IRCC returned all pending applications.
What do you think? What are the chances of happening same in current times?
That was in 2012 due to the Bill C-38, which was later known as Canada’s
Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act. IRCC was facing a lot of issues. IRPA was amended and section 87.3 was introduced, that gave the power to the Immigration Minister fo issue Ministerial Instructions (MI) to streamline the process and fix quotas.
In 2008, over 600,000 applicants were awaiting processing and the number continued. However, Act created section 87.4 of the IPRA, a provision which had the effect of unilaterally terminating all FSW applications submitted before 27 February 2008 which had not received a decision based on selection criteria before 29 March 2012.12 This amounted to a total of approximately 280,000 applicants.
However, we are currently no where close, and the ministerial instructions power is in place with the Minister, who uses it for all draws and can also exercise them to streamline the process.
But I highly doubt that the same 2012 situation will repeat.