MI-3

On July 1, 2011, the third set of Ministerial Instructions (“MI-3”) came into affect.  MI-3 introduced significant changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (“FSW”).

Cap on the number of applications to be processed per year reduced

On June 26, 2010, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) announced that a maximum of 20,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications, without an offer of arranged employment, would be considered for processing each year.  MI-3 reduced this amount to 10,000.

The occupations that are eligible under the FSW without an offer of arranged employment are:

  • 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers
  • 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
  • 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management
  • 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
  • 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists
  • 2151 Architects
  • 3111 Specialist Physicians
  • 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians
  • 3113 Dentists
  • 3131 Pharmacists
  • 3142 Physiotherapists
  • 3152 Registered Nurses
  • 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
  • 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
  • 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
  • 4151 Psychologists
  • 4152 Social Workers
  • 6241 Chefs
  • 6242 Cooks
  • 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
  • 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
  • 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)
  • 7242 Industrial Electricians
  • 7251 Plumbers
  • 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators
  • 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
  • 7371 Crane Operators
  • 7372 Drillers & Blasters — Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction
  • 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

    • Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 new FSW applications per occupation above will be considered for processing each year.  This represents a reduction from the previous 1,000. The cap year will begin on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2012.

    All applications are to be sent to the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia, to determine if they meet the above requirements, before they can be sent to a visa office.