Canada is on the verge of a backlog of skilled immigrant applications, reports the Toronto Star. Recent government data shows that the average processing time is seven and a half years. Currently, 600,000 applications have been submitted for the 80,055 available 2010 skilled immigrant visas, more than half of which were submitted after March 2008.

Government officials contend that previous legislative measures have decreased the backlog by 40% (from 640,000 to 400,000 outstanding applications). Moreover, 80% of applications submitted in the past 12 months were resolved in seven months or less. Also, the immigration department announced this month that it will review labor market needs and update the occupation list.

Critics claim the emerging backlog is caused by the government’s slow efforts to clear the pre-measures backlog, and by a surplus of applicants claiming that they qualify under one of the program’s 38 special skill occupations. The latter issue, some contend, is caused by loosely defined occupations (e.g., financial manager) and by foreign immigration firms persuading unqualified individuals to apply. Additionally, critics note that although Canada doubled spending on in-country processing, only a 7% increase occurred for processing in foreign outposts.