I admit the reply is strange and potentially very frustrating for pre-June-2010 applicants - but please also bare in mind the pre-June-2010 applicants ARE going into process, getting medical requests and passport requests etc.
Effectively CHC London seem to be saying that they have twice as many Feb2008-June2010 applications as they can issue visas for in 2011. This means at least half of you SHOULD still get visas this year. A little more than half, actually, since a small percentage of applications will fail during processing.
Regrettably we see the same pattern every time new rules come out. In February 2008 for a year or more applicants were getting visas in 6 months, whilst those who applied January 2008 or early were put on the backburner.
Now with post-June-2010 applications the same pattern seems to be emerging, the post-June-2010 applicants are moving speedily whilst (at least some) of the pre-June-2010 applicants are on the back-burner.
It is quite possible with the new rules on 1st July 2011 that post-June-2010 applicants could find themselves on the back-burner, especially if their NOC drops off the list.
Regrettably very little of this process is about fairness to applicants, and most of it is partly about Canadian politics and partly about, at least trying, to meet the demands of the Canadian job market.
But what is the solution I wonder? Canada can't just blast through the backlog and admit 1 million immigrants, the vast majority of whom will no longer be in in-demand job categories and will just be taking jobs from Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Clearly there has to be some easing and control - but I think CIC should be more clear, more transparent and have much better communication to the applicants.
My 2 cents,
Wayne.