As against present system where Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is required to assess every Permanent Resident application received at a visa office, in a particular immigration category, on a "first come, first served" basis, come April 2008, the CIC would be empowered to select among the new applications received and choose those that it determines are best suited for Canada's labor market needs.

Under the new bill, if it is passed, the Immigration Minister would have to authority to set annual limits on the number of applicants under certain categories of Canadian immigration. New Canadian immigration applications would be handled at the discretion of the Immigration Minister; some will be processed quickly, others will be held at the visa office for processing at a later date, and others will be returned to the applicant along with government processing fees.
It remains to be seen how the minister sets up the administrative mechanism to clear the files as it appears the minister would like to set quotas for particular trade where it is difficult to get local manpower. In fact, in some trades as in Oil Sand industry in Alberta, getting workforce that is prepared to work under harsh conditions is too tough.
The purpose of this amendment to the IRPA is to remedy the growing backlog of Canadian immigration applications that has forced processing times to rise by 20 per cent since 2004. Should the bill pass, it would be good news to applicants who are currently in the queue waiting for their visas to be processed.
The fate of the bill appears to be uncertain as already there are voices of protests against the bill as it seeks to indirectly encourage the exploitation of labor in the sense that it seeks to recruit people where local workforce is asking for higher wages and better working conditions. This move is seen as one that would trigger the wage cuts.
The Immigration Minister would not say whether she intends to use the new power to limit new immigration applications, stating that the budget bill will have to pass before any announcements will be made. At present, Canadian Immigration Visa Offices around the world continue to accept new immigration applications in all categories. CIC reiterates that Canada remains open to immigration and that the proposed amendments should not deter good candidates from applying at this time. The current passmark of 67 points, under the Federal Skilled Worker category, would not be affected by the proposed amendments.
The proposed legislation, if passed in its present form, will apply to all applications received at a visa office on or after February 27, 2008