In 2009, we created the important new immigration program called the Canadian Experience Class, which invites foreign students who have completed a two-year degree or diploma and one year of work in Canada, or highly skilled temporary foreign workers who have done 24 months of work in Canada, to apply for and obtain permanent residency from within Canada.
In the past, we used to tell them to leave the country to make an application for the skilled worker points program and to get in the back of an eight-year-long line. Now we say, “Great. You've done your degree, your diploma, and a year of work in Canada as a student. Please stay.”
As well, I just announced today that as of January 2, we're lowering the threshold of work period required for high-skilled temporary workers to obtain PR through the Canadian Experience Class from 24 months to 12 months. If one of these companies has hired a brilliant video game producer who has come in from France and has been working in Montreal for 12 months at one of these companies.... That's not a good example, because it's in Quebec, which could of course sponsor them, but if they came to Toronto and did this, they could apply for and obtain, in principle, permanent residency through the CEC.