This month’s Canadian federal election resulted in Canada’s third consecutive minority government, re-electing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. Now that the Conservatives have secured their place as the ruling government, it is expected that the Immigration Minister will announce her plan about how the recent Canadian immigration amendments will be implemented.
Though the Conservatives did not clinch enough seats to make up a majority government, their minority was strengthened to 143 seats, up from 127 in the 2006 election. Prime Minister Harper has called on all other political parties to work together with the Conservative government to protect the economy and to continue to build a strong Canada.
Maintaining their power, the Conservative government can now proceed with their planned immigration amendments. It is expected that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Diane Finley will reveal the new immigration priorities early in November. At that time, all those Federal Skilled Worker applicants submitted since February 27th will learn how their applications will be treated.
From what has already been released, it seems that Federal Skilled Worker applicants will be selected based on whether their occupations are included in CIC’s list of 38 qualifying occupations. Those whose occupations are on the list and who meet all other requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker category will have their applications processed.
Those whose occupations are not on the list will be channeled to other immigration categories, such as the Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP), if they can qualify.
Minister Finley does not intend to reveal this list to the public until later in the fall.
Canadian immigrants are receiving a greater amount of representation in the House of Commons, as a growing number of MP’s are immigrants or children of immigrants. Sikh-Canadians, for example, actually have a greater number of MP’s in Parliament than their share of the Canadian population.
Immigration is among the most significant issues for these MP’s, along with the recognition of foreign work credentials.