Government of Canada Taking Action to Eliminate Backlog of FSW Applications

Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) taking action to eliminate long-standing backlog of applications made under simplified application process. As per the proposal, CIC will return FSW applications to all applicants who applied prior to 27 Feb, 2008 and have not got visa decision until 30th of March 2012. CIC will refund their application feed too.

During the past four years, CIC has taken several steps to finalize immigration applications sooner than long time frame of 85 months as set in simplified application process. For the same purpose, in 2008 CIC introduced Action Plan for Faster Immigration and started accepting only selective occupations who were able to get decision on their applications in months. Further in June 2010, first time in history of Canada Immigration, application cap of 1000 FSW applications per year per occupation was introduced. In later year, this was halved to 500 FSW applications per occupations. But due to high volume of applicants already waiting for decision on their applications, all these steps could not reduce application processing time. By all these efforts CIC has reduced 50% of the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker’s old applications.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program backlog is a major roadblock to Canada’s ability to respond to rapidly changing labor market needs. Having to process FSW applications that are as many as eight years out of date reduces our ability to focus on new applicants with skills and talents that our economy needs today, Said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

Minister Jason Kenney told if CIC do not return and refunds old applications, then those applicants might have to wait for another 5 years to get decisions. This plan will affect around 280,000 FSW applicants, who applied before 27th of Feb, 2008. After eliminating this backlog, CIC intend to introduce fast track immigration system which will ensure applicants to get decisions on their applications in months instead of waiting for years. He further told that 20,000 applications have passed basic selection criteria. CIC will keep processing those applications.