jason kenney kills dream of canadian immigration for 280,000 people

Anyone who follows Canadian immigration had to see this coming, although I admit I didn't think they'd do it in one fell swoop. Just as they have done with refugee claimants, the Harper Government^TM created a backlog of immigration applicants... then they got rid of it.

More than 280,000 people who have been waiting years for a decision on their immigration files could be soon be chopped from the list as the federal government moves to streamline its immigration practices.

It’s a decision some immigration lawyers are calling a betrayal by the government that they say is changing the rules too late in the game.

“These people have had the rug pulled out from underneath them,” said Montreal-based lawyer David Chalk.

“The government of Canada invited people who had certain qualifications to apply, these people invested time energy and hope."

Citizenship and Immigration Canada said it’s coping with half a decade of application backlogs by focusing efforts on skilled immigrants who can immediately fill holes in the country’s labour market.

The change was proposed in the federal budget, presented by the Conservative government Thursday.

If approved, the department will close files of potential immigrants who applied under the Federal Skilled Worker Program before Feb. 27, 2008 if an immigration officer did not made a decision on their case by the end of March.

The move is expected to affect around 280,000 people, including the applicants and their dependants.

This will please the anti-immigration crowd, but it won't help Canada. For better or worse, Canada was built by immigrants, and continues to be. The only reason Canada has population growth or economic growth is because of immigrants. Imagine that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration doesn't believe that.