I think, Mr. Chair, will all due respect it is only coincidence plus the fact that a lot of those appointments happened in Mississauga. We had not only vacancies to fill, but also new positions. Mississauga is one of the fastest-growing offices in the country. I can talk also about Scarborough.
I will give you a clear picture of where the action is as far as citizenship cases are concerned. In Immigration and Citizenship we call it MTV--Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver. The Toronto region receives 100,000 new immigrants every single year. Of course, when they become permanent residents, after a while they want to become citizens. Accordingly, the Scarborough office, the Toronto central office, and the Mississauga office are among the busiest offices in Canada. Montreal is not giving up its place either. My friend George is kept busy, as well, with his colleagues. Vancouver is also a critical place.
Just to give you an idea, over the course of the fiscal year 2005-2006 we were working out of the equivalent of 15 FTEs, which is, in your jargon, full-time equivalents. You probably know that notion better than I. We are now 29, and we are aiming for 37. It's just to basically to show that there's a demand.
The key is that you need the judge. The judge is essential in the process. I've heard a lot of comments from the minutes of your committee about the fact that we are playing mainly an honorific role. Well, I have news for you people. Eighty-five percent of the day-to-day work of a judge is to basically study cases and do administrative decision-making. The nice picture of the judge with the robe is about 15% to 20%, at best, of our time.
We are essential in the process because we have to approve. If you look at the Citizenship Act, you'll see there is one single entity that approves each file--the judge. We are not granting citizenship; the minister is granting. But we do have to approve before the minister grants. Without approval, they're not able to make it.