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During a recent Budget Speech, Canadian finance minister James M. Flaherty highlighted Canada's advances in supporting immigration and announced plans to improve its position in attracting top talent from around the world. His speech included plans on speeding up the application process for migrants and increasing funding to support programs to assist newcomers.
He highlighted the advances that Canada has already made towards positioning the country as a more competitive destination for highly sought-after migrants.
"In Budget 2007, we made significant progress in this area by streamlining the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, enabling employers to bring in workers more quickly," Flaherty said. "We also changed the rules allowing skilled workers and foreign students to remain in Canada as permanent residents, people this country needs."
According to Flaherty, Canada will change the Immigration and Refugee Act to improve and speed up the application process for migrants.
"It is not fair for prospective immigrants to wait for years before their applications are considered," he said.
"In addition, we are providing $22 million in new funding to support immigration initiatives over the next two years. This funding will improve the responsiveness of our immigration system and better align it with our labor market needs," he added.
