Canadian Immigration News

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Reviews the Past 12 Months

Following historically high numbers of new immigrants arriving in Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reviews significant reforms of the last 12 months.

According to the CIC, these changes have helped to strengthen the integrity and economic responsiveness of the current Canadian immigration system.

"Our government has a plan for a faster, more flexible, responsive and secure immigration system that will better meet Canada's economic needs while continuing to uphold our humanitarian commitments," said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. "With our changes, immigrants will see their lives improve, and Canadians will see the economy grow."

According to the review some of the outstanding achievements of the CIC over the past year include:

• Approving the "Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act" helps to improve the asylum system, cope with human smuggling and allow for the collection of biometric data from Canadian visa applicants;
• Passing "Economic Action Plan 2012" makes the economic stream faster and more flexible to contribute to Canadian jobs, growth and prosperity. The plan also eliminates the old backlog to Canadian skilled worker applicants who suffered more than seven years waiting times;
• Introduction of the "Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act" would end avenues for foreign criminals delaying deportation and staying in Canada.

In terms of Canadian family reunification, there are also some significant regulatory changes announced:

• Success of the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa with nearly 3,700 successful applications in its first six months;
• Preventing the backlog for sponsored parents and grandparents.

Minister Jason Kenney stated that the government had made great strides in the past years and would attempt to have more improvements and reforms in the coming years.

If you are interested in Immigration to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.