Ottawa, July 3, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today released details of consultations on Canada’s immigration priorities, following the passage of changes to Canada’s immigration legislation under Budget Bill C-50.

The new immigration law gives the Minister the authority to issue instructions on which categories of applications are prioritized, returned with a refund or held for future consideration.

The new law is intended to stop the growth of the backlog of applicants so that, ultimately, people who want to come to Canada receive a decision within 6 to 12 months instead of the 6 years it can take now. The new law also more closely aligns Canada’s immigration system with labour shortages so that immigrants who come to Canada will have more opportunities to find employment in their chosen fields.

Read full news release here