News Briefs – Injunction Granted Against Immigration Department

Canada's immigration department was dealt a serious blow late yesterday afternoon after a Federal Court judge slapped it with an injunction preventing it from rejecting the applications of skilled workers who applied before Jan. 1, 2002, to immigrate to Canada.

The move affects an estimated 100,000 people caught in a backlog when Canada decided to change the selection criteria for prospective immigrants.

"The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is directed to refrain from finally rejecting applications for permanent residence submitted before the 1st of January 2002 by economic class applicants seeking immigrant visas and who have not been provided notice of a decision thereon before the date of this Order."

Ontario Considers Separate Immigration System

The province of Ontario is developing plans to withdraw from key areas of federal-provincial co-operation, in part by establishing its own income-tax and immigration systems.

A memorandum from the Ontario Premier recommends that the province move to an immigration system identical to Quebec's. That province, as a result of a 1991 federal-provincial agreement, is responsible for selecting, processing and integrating immigrants to the province, and advises Ottawa each year on how many immigrants it wants to receive.