Minister of Immigration Announces 2009 Goals

Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, has released a New Year's message which lists the country’s achievements and goals with regard to Canadian immigration in 2008 and 2009.

Among the achievements described for 2008 are the expansion of the Post-Graduation Worker Permit Program; the investment of $1.4 billion since 2006 to assist immigrant settlement; and the implementation of provisions intended to expedite the processing of Skilled Worker immigration applications. The Minister's goal with the latter Action Plan for Faster Immigration is to reduce backlogs to 6-12 months, down from as much as 6 years.

Looking towards 2009, the Minister highlighted the fact that Canada will continue to maintain its immigration levels as other countries reduce theirs. He says, “The coming year will present challenges. However, we will meet these challenges together as we have many times before. We are fortunate to live in a country of great peace, prosperity, diversity and potential.”