The Government of Canada announced on March 29, 2012 a plan to reduce the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) applications by returning all applications and government fees submitted prior to February 27, 2008. This will amount to a total of almost 300,000 returned applications, as well as approximately $130 million in refunded government processing fees.
This decision has been reached as part of a larger effort by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to “transition to a faster and more flexible economic immigration system”. Approximately 160,000 FSW applications, submitted after February 28, 2008, will remain in queue for processing.
Stay tuned for a special edition of CIC News later tonight, which will elaborate on the announcement, its rationale, and options for returned applicants who wish to continue efforts to come to Canada.