If you are struggling to keep your New Year's resolutions, you are not alone. When Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney put the Federal Skilled Worker program on hold last June, he promised that he would revise the program and begin accepting new applications in January, 2013.
In December, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that this promise would not be kept and that new skilled worker applications would be accepted beginning May 4, 2013.
The good news is that the skilled worker program, which is still the category which brings most immigrants into Canada, has been revised, with a point system that places more emphasis on youth and English or French language skills. The government has also promised a system of credential recognition by designated organizations, but has not announced how this process would work, or by whom. This credential recognition process would be a mandatory step for all skilled worker applicants, similar to the requirement to produce language test results. It adds another layer of bureacracy in the processing of skilled worker applicants, however the government's intention is to maximize the capacity of skilled workers to integrate into the Canadian labour market.
The government has also promised to introduce annual application caps for the skilled worker category, so it will be important for qualified applicants to file their applications as quickly as possible. If you would like to have your credentials as a skilled worker assessed in advance of the re-opening of the program on May 4th, 2013, contact Michael Battista at mbattista@jordanbattista.com
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