According to Canadian media reports, the Federal Court has ruled that the Canadian Immigration Department must respond to the delayed investment immigration applications, with the hearing scheduled for 12 month17. The lawyer representing 5 original plaintiffs indicated that the Immigration Department is very likely to review these applications before the hearing begins to avoid greater losses from going to court. The federal government stated that the case has entered legal proceedings and is unwilling to respond further.
It is understood that the 5 original plaintiffs submitted investment immigration applications in Hong Kong, Vienna, and London, but have not yet received processing. According to the current processing speed, it may take up to 21 years.
The original plaintiffs demand that the federal government’s Immigration Department immediately process their applications and not handle them in a one-size-fits-all manner like last year’s backlog of skilled immigration cases. The judge previously ruled that the court cannot interfere with the decisions of the Immigration Department, but now the court has accepted the related lawsuit, which means that the previous decision will not be repeated.
Currently, there are at least 80 cases undergoing similar lawsuits, and the ruling in 12 month will apply to nearly 20,000 applicants.
