Canada is probably the world’s leading nation when it comes to taking measures to attract migrant workers.

In recent years, the government has invested heavily in various aspects of attracting migrants to Canada, including numerous funding packages to help newcomers settle into their new environments, as well as providing educational endorsements and promoting ethnically mixed communities.

Currently, some 700,000 skilled workers are waiting to migrate to Canada, however, such is the demand for a place in Canadian society, that processing times have increased by 20 per cent since 2004.

Now, the government has proposed the introduction of new measures which will reduce the time that skilled migrants will need to wait before they can relocate to Canada.

Under the new government plans, migrants possessing the most sought after skills in Canada will be pushed to the front of the immigration queue, thus reducing the waiting time for them to receive their Canadian skilled visas.

The government aims to cut the waiting time for migrants with essential skills to just six to twelve months, from their application. Currently, an applicant with a high level of skills in demand, such as a doctor, would have to wait for up to five years before being granted the right to live and work in Canada.

Improving the shortage of staff in the medical sector is an immediate priority for the Canadian government.