At the time of implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of June 28th 2002, a transitional period was specified in the legislation. This period was recommend by Canadian Parliament as a necessary measure to allow as much of the existing backlog as possible to be cleared out under the Regulations in effect at the time that applications had been made. This transitional period will end on March 31st 2003, at which time all applicants who have not received an interview waiver, or attended a successful selection interview, will be subject to the new selection criteria described at the following here.

The country’s rapidly ageing population, coupled with a dearth of young workers, will cause a major shortage of potential employees and could mean immigrants will account for almost all of the labour force growth within a decade, Statistics Canada suggests.

The government will spend $41.4 million over the next two years to attract more skilled workers and foreign students to Canada and to help workers find jobs once they get here.