In october, 2011. Below is the full content:
Dear Madam,
Thank you for contacting the Immigration Section of the High Commission of Canada in Singapore to request the status of a Skilled Worker application for permanent residence in Canada.
Changes to immigration law in 2008 allow Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) to set, through Ministerial Instructions, the number and type of applications considered for processing each year, and the order in which these applications will be processed.
No limit was placed on the number of Skilled Worker applications that could be submitted under first set of instructions (between February 27, 2008 and June 25, 2010). There was so much interest in the program that the applications received exceeded our capacity to process them within the timeframe originally predicted. Please visit the CIC website to see actual processing times for the past year.
CIC is committed to reducing processing times. With the introduction of a cap under the second set of instructions (between Jun 26, 2010 and June 30, 2011), we limited the intake of new Skilled worker applications to better match the number we can actually process within the annual levels plan approved by Canada's Parliament.
Processing priority is now being given to Skilled Worker applications that meet new eligibility criteria in a third set of Ministerial Instructions (from July 1, 2011). Details are available on the CIC website. Because they reflect Canada's current labour market needs, Skilled Worker applications under this most recent set of instructions are put into process on a priority basis as soon as the applications are received.
Applicants who applied under previous sets of Ministerial Instructions can anticipate longer wait times before processing of their applications begins. Those who meet the eligibility criteria of the most recent Ministerial Instructions are free to submit a new application for immediate processing. They may choose to withdraw a previous application or leave it in process. Fees will be fully refunded if the withdrawal request is received before processing begins.
The application about which you have enquired was submitted under a previous set of Ministerial Instructions. It is currently in inventory, queued for review based on its application received date. When we are ready to begin processing, we will contact you to request updated information. Until then, the only information you are required to provide to our office is:
- Change of address or contact information, including email address
- Marriage, birth, or death in the applicant's immediate family
- Request to withdraw the application and refund the application fees
- Submission of an Arranged Employment Opinion approved by Human Resources and Social Development Canada
- Change to the applicant's representation (to engage, change, or revoke a paid representative, the form IMM 5476 Use of a Representative must be completed and signed by the applicant, then sent to our office)
In all correspondence with our office, remember to quote the applicant's file number, full name and date of birth.
Responding to routine enquiries and requests for status updates takes resources away from processing applications. We thank you for your patience and for keeping your correspondence to a minimum to help us serve you better. We hope that this information will be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Immigration Section | Section d'immigration
High Commission of Canada | Haut Commissariat du Canada
Singapore | Singapour
