Government of Canada Planning to Reject 280,000 Skilled Worker PR Applications
Apr 24, 2012
Reference: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-03-30a.asp
Being an immigrant myself, issues related to immigration are close to me. This proposal will lead to rejection of about 280,000 applicants on the grounds that they applied before a certain cut off date. It is very clear something needs to be done about the backlog and processing times needs to be reduced but this proposal's way of doing it is unfair and insensitive to the applicant's aspirations and hopes for life in Canada.
"It’s unreasonable to keep applicants waiting for another five years" - Minister Kenney
But is it reasonable to reject them unilaterally and without any hint of regret or apology?
"It’s also a far cry from the nimble and responsive immigration system Canada needs to remain a destination of choice." - Minister Kenney
Why wait till we got so much backlog? couldn't we have predicted this much earlier? So a responsive system means if you applied earlier and have waited longer, you are rejected but if you applied later (than Feb 27 2008) then you are eligible.
Minister Kenney has the right intentions and the problem is not easy to solve but the simple mathematical solution of subtraction is not the way to go about it. This is not only about numbers. Canada is well respected world wide and I am proud to be a Canadian but I must say this one decision will have immediate negative impact on about 280,000 persons world wide and their dependants, friends and relatives both outside and within Canada. It is not difficult to see that an applicant for PR is someone who respects and favours Canada more than any other non-Canadian so they deserve more from us.