Please don't shoot the messenger.

BUT, it is very important that Desi job seekers take this matter up with their MP's.

I cannot provide details, but I am telling you that immigrants who have worked/lived outside Canada in the last 5 years are now being screened out by govt hiring managers i.e. their resumes are not even considered.

This is now happening because the managers are afraid that CSIS will take too long to obtain the security level clearance needed (because of foreign residence). BTW this applies even to former US residents.

But, in certain disciplines where immigrants and visible minorities are currently the dominant if not larger minority of qualified applicants (engineers in Ontario), this situation is being used as an excuse not to hire recent immigrants or give them a chance. This means that less qualified applicants are being favoured over more qualified applicants. In government jobs, where the average anglophone rarely seek a career (they have better prospects in pvt sector), this means an additional bent toward hiring certain less qualified or less deserving bilingual/francophone candidates.

While you can regard this info as rumour at this point (without substantiation), I can tell you seriously that this is what managers are being instructed to do. Unless the manager is willing to wait (which is not easy when dealing with budgets that must be used up), they really have no choice.

If you think this is unnacceptable, please do something and call your MP to complain.