Perhaps I may respond to the second part of your question in terms of allowing people to apply here when they are here.
I would suggest that if we are in need of immigrants--and all the studies that I've seen have shown that as a country, as a province, we'll need new Canadians to look after our labour requirements--then it would be really to our advantage to allow people who have come here, who have worked here, who have proven that they are law-abiding citizens, the chance to become a Canadian.