Canada job hopefuls to protest at waiting list cull

Furious Hong Kong and mainland skilled workers waiting for an entry permit will protest today against the Canadian government's proposal to cancel 280,000 applications filed before 2008 as part of a broad revamp.

The workers, who are angry at having waited so long only to discover that it has been futile, plan to protest outside the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong today. Some of them may go on hunger strike.

Of the 280,000 applicants affected by this proposed change, 11,380 are from mainland China and 383 are from Hong Kong. Application fees would be refunded and people have been invited to apply under the proposed new system.

The revamp is part of sweeping changes involving a broad cross-section of legislation proposed in the Budget Implementation Act, which is under review in Canada's Parliament. The revamp, targeting those applying to enter Canada as federal skilled workers, aims to tackle a shortage of workers, which has now been pared down to a list of 29 eligible occupations announced last June. They include chefs, plumbers, industrial electricians, social workers and heavy-duty equipment mechanics.

This will affect people who applied before 2008 - the year it was decided that applicants with more urgently needed skills could jump the queue and be processed quicker.

But some Chinese applicants are furious that their occupation is no longer eligible in the new criteria, and blame the Canadian government for stealing their youth after years of waiting for an approval, while younger and better-qualified applicants are now more desirable.