Finance committee  If you qualify, you go to the front, in essence, because you would be prioritized under the current set of ministerial instructions.

Finance committee  I could clarify that. There are essentially only two substreams within the federal skilled worker program, those who applied before February 2008 and those who applied after. There has been a series of ministerial instructions issued, but from an operational perspective they're

Finance committee  That would be approximately one million overall, in all categories.

Finance committee  Not just skilled workers, but every category—

Finance committee  They would have to qualify under the current prioritization under ministerial instructions, so a priority occupations list, or having arranged employment.

Finance committee  The department explored possibilities, and it is very difficult to assess what that ballpark is. It could be a very broad spread. It's difficult to say with certainty.

Finance committee  The department of course considered the litigation implications of doing this. Certainly one of those is, as you mentioned, being sued.

Finance committee  Under the current prioritized stream within the federal skilled workers program decisions are being made much faster, so if they're identified and if they qualify, the commitment is to process those applications within six to twelve months.

Finance committee  I believe the average is five to six years now for folks in the backlog.

Finance committee  I don't believe those costs were ever evaluated in terms of indemnities. It's a very difficult number to narrow.

Finance committee  Yes, there's certainly fraud.

Finance committee  The termination of the applications does not prevent these individuals from reapplying if they meet the conditions of the other numerous programs, including the federal skilled workers program, which is still available to them.

Finance committee  Essentially the backlog, if not eliminated, will be around for many more years to come. There are plenty of skilled workers currently in the queue. The government has expressed a desire to move to a greater emphasis on meeting immediate labour market needs, the current needs of C

Finance committee  I would have to get back to the committee on that—

Finance committee  No. Demand for immigration to Canada is high. It has been high historically, and there's no indication that it's subsiding in any way.