For me, it's the model immigration program, and I hope that in the future it will expand to be our core economic immigration program. It invites foreign students who have completed a two-year degree, or a diploma and one year of work in Canada, which is facilitated by our granting those students open work permits, or temporary foreign workers at the middle to high level of occupational categories who have worked in Canada for two years, to apply for and obtain permanent residency from within Canada on a faster basis.
In the past we used to tell such people at the end of their authorized period in Canada—at the end of their studies or work permit—to please leave Canada. If they wanted to immigrate, even if they had a job lined up, we told them to get in the back of the seven-year-long skilled worker queue, which was absolutely ridiculous, because these people are pre-integrated. They have perfected or improved their English or French language capability. In the case of students, they have degrees and diplomas that are recognized by Canadian employers, and all of them have Canadian work experience. Most of them have pre-arranged jobs.
By every measure, these are the immigrants most likely to succeed in our labour market. We're pleased that so far 10,000 permanent residents have been admitted through that program, but we could do much better. It's been under-subscribed, and we are looking at modifications to the Canadian experience class. For example, one of the changes we're considering is moving the threshold for a permanent residency application for higher-skilled temporary foreign workers from two years to one year. That's one of the changes we're looking at.