Jason Kenney and Immigration Minister

immigration minister: Express entry: early immigration data shows many already in Canada Click here for more of CBC coverage of express entry Jason Kenney, who was responsible for the Harper government transformation of Canada immigration system during his time as immigration minister, on Friday touted express entry as "a system that fast, that connects people to the labour market so they can realize their dreams and fulfil their potential upon arrival in Canada." "New economic immigrants are arriving in Canada in months rather than years," Kenney said during a news conference in Vancouver. "A growing percentage have jobs lined up before they get to Canada rather than being stuck in survival jobs for years following their arrival." Majority already in Canada While that may be the goal, express entry has opened the door to very few new economic immigrants, according to CBC. To date, it has favoured a large number of temporary foreign workers and other foreign nationals already in the country. The Conservatives launched a new system known as express entry on Jan. 1, comparing it to a dating site, with Ottawa acting as chief matchmaker between "the best and brightest" immigrants and Canadian employers looking to fill open jobs. Over 85 per cent of the foreign nationals who were selected for admission under express entry in the first six months of the year — 11,047 out of 12,304 — were already in Canada, according to a report published by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in July. Even smaller percentages resided in other countries. The report shows that three per cent were living in India, followed by two per cent in the U.S. and one per cent in the Philippines. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.