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Federal Court ordered that the applications of those involved in the lawsuit who had applied before January 1, 2002 be assessed under the former Act before March 31, 2003. CIC complied with that order.

Following the Courts decision, many other people felt that their applications should also be reviewed. In June 2003, a Federal Court judge imposed an injunction on CIC, preventing the department from finally refusing any application which was filed prior to January 1, 2002. This injunction also requires the department to notify all applicants that could potentially be involved in a class action. CIC is in the process of complying with this injunction.

Minister Denis Coderre is proposing to amend the transition regulations to allow economic class applicants (skilled workers and business immigrants) who filed their applications for permanent residence before January 1, 2002 to be assessed under the former Immigration Act (and then under IRPA if refused under the former Act).

Applicants in these last two groups will be required to advise CIC of their desire to be processed before January 01, 2005.

The Canadian Government is providing all permanent residents with the opportunity to obtain secure proof of their status in Canada. A new permanent resident (PR) card will be given to all individuals who become permanent residents after June 28, 2002. Existing permanent residents may apply for the PR card beginning in September 2002. The PR card in most cases is valid for 5 years and renewable thereafter. In certain cases the PR card may be issued for only 1 year. While permanent residents are under no obligation to apply for a PR card, transportation companies (airlines) will not carry permanent residents to Canada without a valid card after December 31, 2003.

A permanent resident must comply with a residency obligation with respect to every five-year period. The permanent resident complies with the residency obligation provisions if, for at least 730 days (2 years) in that 5 year period the permanent resident is physically present in Canada or is:

In the Skilled Worker category the principal applicant must pay a non-refundable processing fee of CDN$550. The accompanying spouse must also pay CDN$550. Accompanying children under 22 years of age each pay CDN$150 and those 22 years and older pay CDN$550. In addition, a refundable right of landing fee of CDN$975 is charged to each newly arriving immigrant 22 years of age or older.

Type of Application	Responsible Case Processing Centre	Processing Applications Received Up To	Current Processing Time
Temporary Residence Applications >>Includes: Work, Study, Visitor, Temporary Resident Permits and Restoration of Status
Applying to Change Conditions or Extend Your Stay in Canada Applying for a Protected Person Status Document	CPC Vegreville	August 18, 2003	62 days
Permanent Residence Applications >>First stage of approval
Protected Persons and Convention Refugees	CPC Vegreville	April 28, 2003	174 days
Humanitarian and Compassionate Cases	CPC Vegreville	March 20, 2003	213 days
Spouse or Common-Law Partner Class	CPC Vegreville	April 28, 2003	174 days
Live-in Caregiver	CPC Vegreville	April 28, 2003	174 days
Sponsorship Applications
Spouse, Common-Law or Conjugal Partner and Dependent Children	CPC Mississauga	September 22, 2003	31 days
Parents, Grandparents, Adopted Children and Other Relatives	CPC Mississauga	April 22, 2003	186 days
Permanent Resident Card
Applying for a Permanent Resident Card (initial, replacement or renewal)**	CPC Sydney		90 days