Canada’s New Immigration Policy Hit

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FILIPINO applicants for migration in Canada are protesting against the Canadian government’s unilateral move to cancel and “return” without explanation their pending applications and accompanying processing fees, a lawyer said on Sunday.

In a statement, lawyer Gerard Algarra, who represents a group of Manila-based applicants, described the Canadian government’s move as “unconstitutional, illegal, and arbitrary,” saying it constituted a “retroactive legislation,” that could be a subject of a class action suit his group of lawyers was initiating before the Canadian court.

Canada is among the favorite destinations for over two decades of cash-strapped Filipino migrants as a result of its liberal immigration policies.

But on June 29 the Canadian Parliament enacted the Growth and Prosperity Act of 2012, which authorized the Canadian immigration minister to return all pending applications for migration under the Federal Skilled Worker program that were filed before February 2008.

Canadian authorities said the number of applicants for migration could reach over 300,000 of which 30,000 to 60,000, or 10 to 20 percent, were Filipinos, one of the three largest nationalities of applicants for FSW immigration there. Those who have applied after February 2008 were not included.

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