By: Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Posted: 06/28/2012 2:32 PM | Comments: 8 (including replies) | Last Modified: 06/28/2012 5:04 PM

CALGARY - Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says it's time to hit the "reset button" and temporarily put the brakes on new applications under two programs popular with skilled workers wanting to come to Canada from abroad.

Kenney told a business audience Thursday that the government is placing a six-month moratorium on the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Immigrant Investor Program.

"Effective next week we will be issuing a temporary pause on new applications for the federal skilled worker program," Kenney said in a speech to a C.D. Howe immigration conference.

"This is a way to ensure that improvements to the program have time to be put in place which will give new applicants the opportunity to be even more positioned to succeed in Canada."

Applications for both programs had been scheduled to reopen Sunday.

Kenney was quick to say after his speech that the move will not mean a drop in the number of immigrants coming to Canada.

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