By: The Canadian Press Winnipeg Free Press

Posted: 05/23/2012 5:32 PM

OTTAWA - A federal court judge has quashed the hopes of hundreds of would-be immigrants seeking to force the government to review their files.

Over 800 skilled workers have seen their applications languish in a massive backlog that's set to be eliminated by the federal budget bill.

They are suing the government over the delay in processing their files and had sought an injunction that would force the immigration minister to keep their applications open while the case is before the courts.

That's because the budget bill is likely to pass before the case is over, meaning they would lose their applications.

But in a decision released Wednesday, the judge said he can't force the immigration minister to keep the files open.

He called their request devoid of merit in part because the bill hasn't passed and the courts can only get involved once legislation is enacted, not before.

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