18 September 2003 The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada announces that with immediate effect the points requirement under the skilled worker category goes down to 67 points. The new passmark of 67 points will cover all applicants who filed an application on or after 1 January 2002 and who have not as yet received a selection decision. The previous pass mark from 28 June 2002 to 17 September 2003 was 75 points. There is also a proposal to amend the transitional provisions that came into effect on 28 June 2002 that would mean that all skilled worker and business immigration applicants who applied before January 01, 2002 would be assessed under the selection criteria of the former Immigration Act. These changes mean that there is now a huge increase in the number of people who qualify under the Canada skilled worker programme.