Okay. Thank you.
TRV applications from Taiwanese have historically been low-risk and uncomplicated, with over 99% of cases approved by the following business day. Against a backdrop of consistently low rates of refusal and refugee claims, the Government of Canada announced a visa waiver for Taiwan on November 22, 2010.
The waiver decision necessitated significant workforce adjustments in the visa section; 55% of the locally-engaged staff complement was laid off in December 2010.
Study permit processing in Taiwan is relatively uncontroversial. Of the more than 1,500 applications received last year, fewer than 1% were refused.
Given the very low refusal rate, clients identified as needing medicals are immediately issued instructions upon file creation. This practice has allowed this office to process cases relatively quickly, with 71% of cases finalized within 14 days.
Work permit applications are relatively more challenging. In large part, this is because they are an offshore movement, with only 40% of applicants in 2010 being Taiwanese. Almost 56% of applications received in 2010 were by nationals of the Philippines.
Accounting for more than one-quarter of the work permit total, nearly 800 live-in caregiver applications were received in 2010. As you may be aware, the LCP is often targeted for abuse. As such, it's routinely necessary to request additional documentation, to hold interviews, and to conduct verifications. Fraud is regularly identified, and is the primary driver of 2010's 12% LCP refusal rate.
In terms of other work permit categories, it is worth noting that last year saw the launch of a youth mobility agreement between Taiwan and Canada. Called International Experience Canada, or IEC, the program saw about 700 work permit applications processed in 2010.
Work permit processing times in Taipei remain well above the global average with only 31% of cases finalized in 28 days or less. Against a backdrop of medical requirements for Taiwan and noting the complexity of the LCP cases, it's not anticipated that a significant reduction in processing times will be achieved in 2011.
That said, it's hoped that practices such as reducing the window of time allotted to applicants to perform medicals will serve to deliver a modest improvement.
Before turning to an overview of permanent resident processing in Taipei, I'd mentioned that non-immigrant processing is highly seasonal. In 2010, three-quarters of the temporary resident visas and two-thirds of the study permit applications were received in the five-month period from April through August. Also, the IEC program quota is open at the beginning of each calendar year, resulting in a flood of work permit applications in January. The seasonality necessitates that the office resources be allocated primarily to non-immigrant processing during the peak periods.
During permanent resident processing, I would say that with the exception of the decline in inventory of pre-Bill C-50's skilled worker cases, Taipei does not have any real permanent resident backlog to speak of. Family class cases in Taipei are generally straightforward and have a very low incidence of fraud. In this context, we were able to process 80% of spousal cases and partner cases within six months in 2010. For dependent children, 80% of cases were processed within four months.
Sponsored parents and grandparents are subject to globally-managed targets. Of the cases finalized in 2010, 80% of cases took 20 or fewer months to process. With a reduction in the levels allocated to Taipei for 2011, processing times in this category are expected to grow. This said, the visa waiver makes it even easier for parents and grandparents to visit loved ones in Canada while their cases are in process.
Turning now to our skilled worker movement, I am pleased to say that headway has been made in reducing the number of cases awaiting processing in Taipei. Whereas there was over 1,100 such cases at the end of 2008, there were only around 600 at the end of 2010. Our current inventory is comprised almost entirely of pre-Bill C-50 cases and includes applications lodged between April 2007 and February 26, 2008.
Notably, there has been significant reduction in the number of new skilled worker applications out of Taiwan. While over 600 applications were received in 2007, fewer than 90 were received in 2010. This low intake of new applications has allowed Taipei to keep a good number of pre-Bill C-50 applications moving through the pipeline.
In 2010, pre-Bill C-50 applications accounted for approximately two-thirds of the skilled workers visas issued. Continued progress in reducing pre-Bill C-50 inventory will occur in 2011, and it is expected that pre-Bill C-50 cases will account for approximately one-half of the skilled worker visas issued.
Finally, I know that the committee is interested in hearing about Taipei's investor movement. In 2010 we finalized 302 federal investor cases, which is roughly 9% of the global total. Of these, 80% took 22 months or less to process. This is down from 23 months for the cases finalized in 2009. As with skilled workers, Taiwan has been processing more applications than are coming in. In 2010 fewer than 200 new investor applications were received. By the end of quarter three last year, only 324 applications remained in inventory. Working with the expectation that the number of applications under the new investor regulations will be significantly below pre-change levels, continued reductions in processing times are anticipated in Taiwan.
Having provided this broad overview of operations in Taipei, I would emphasize that we are well placed to deliver our service commitments in 2011.
I would gladly answer any questions that the committee might have.