Filipiniana News – September 2012 RHYME & REASON Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that as of 1 July 2012, it has temporarily stopped accepting applications under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) category while awaiting changes to the program that are expected to take effect in early 2013. In the interim, only those with qualifying job offers, as well as PhD students and graduates, are able to apply under the FSWP. On 17 August 2012, CIC released the details of the proposed regulatory changes to the FSWP which are based on the skills and qualifications that are perceived as “most likely to lead to success for skilled immigrants.” The major changes relate to the factors of language, age, work experience and arranged employment as well as spousal language ability and Canadian experience. The pass mark remains 67 points. Minimum Threshold and Increase in Points for Language The proposed changes recognize language as the most important