The controversial amendments to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) have received support from Senate and the House of Commons. The budget implementation act, which included the immigration reforms, was adopted by the Senate yesterday. The changes will put greater emphasis on admitting immigrants who have the skills that are in high demand in Canada. They will apply only to applications submitted on or after February 27, 2008. Applications submitted before then will be processed under the old rules.

"Our next step is to launch consultations with provinces, territories and other experts to ensure we accurately define the priorities for immigration," stated Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley. "Once we've determined Canada's immigration needs, we can develop a set of instructions to guide the processing decisions of immigration officers, including whether applications are prioritized, retained or returned with a refund."

Regardless of how the reforms play out, there are still plenty of options for Canadian immigration, most notably the Provincial Nomination Programs, which have seen much growth over recent years with the support of the federal government. Under the Provincial Nomination Programs, a province can nominate an immigration candidate who intends to reside in that province for fast-track Canadian Permanent Residency.

Though the focus of the amendments will be on immigrants who can contribute to Canada's labour shortage, the reforms will respect the objectives of IRPA, ensuring a balance between economic, family-reunification ,and refugee protection goals.