Following an inquiry at a CBAO meeting with the Immigration Department, the issue of possible discretion on the assessment of applicants marginally below the LICO was addressed.

The response, from the manager of the Departmental Delivery Network to the question of the decision in a hypothetical case of an applicant fall short by $5, was that the application would be refused.

“The application is refused. Kit instructions allow the client to self-assess. They should not submit applications that do not meet requirements. The use of discretion is not an option.”