Ministerial Instructions 8 (MI8): Federal Skilled Workers
Effective May 4, 2013, the eighth set of Ministerial Instructions (MI8) lifted the general pause on the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). It re-established an eligible occupations stream, with an overall cap of 5,000 new applications and sub-caps of 300 applications in each of the 24 eligible occupations. MI8 coincided with the coming into force of the modernized FSWP, which included new minimum language requirements and mandatory educational credential assessments of foreign educational credentials. MI8 also re-set the cap for PhD applicants under the FSWP (1,000 new applications each year) and for the Federal Skilled Trades Program (3,000 new applications each year) to May 4, 2013 thru April 30, 2014. Lastly, the MI renewed the temporary pauses on the Immigrant Investor Program and the Federal Entrepreneur Program.