Reuniting families immigration priority

Canada Immigration Forum (discussion group)


 
       
Subject: Reuniting families immigration priority
  Letter

Friday, April 29, 2005

I am writing in response to a letter to the editor of April 21, entitled Canadians should get first consideration.
Those who question why Canada would seek to unite families by increasing the number of parents and grandparents we process have expressed significant concerns about the costs associated with it.

These changes to the immigration application process come as part of the Liberal government´s commitment to ensuring that our country continues to welcome people from around the world.

Since 2000, Canada has welcomed over one million permanent residents, and has consistently met annual immigration targets since that time.

However, the number of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents is growing, and more applications are received each day than Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) can process.

These sponsorship applications come in large part from skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs who have chosen Canada.

Part of the commitment this country made to them when they arrived was that, after they were established, they could apply to sponsor their parents or grandparents.

For many cultural communities, these parents are an enormous part of their daily life, and their concept of immediate family includes them.

As a country, we must keep our commitments to this group, and we must also be culturally sensitive to their different attitudes of family.

For example, in many cultures, these parents and grandparents are essential child-care providers and supports, and their presence in the country will dramatically improve, for some immigrants, their situation in this country.

Canada is proud that people from all over the world choose to make this country their home. Immigrants play an important role in building our country, a mosaic that brings together different cultures and traditions.

The Liberal government is addressing this most pressing issue, making our immigration system as efficient as possible.

Reuniting families is a key priority of Canada´s immigration program, and an issue to which the Liberal government is firmly committed.

JOSEPH VOLPE, MP

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

Ottawa

http://www.canada.com/windsor/windsorstar/news/letters/story.html?id=3943f28e-ad65-4507-8d62-cdf47d0ee821


[30-04-2005,22:04]
[**.156.79.16]
prg
(in reply to: Reuniting families immigration priority)
In principle and in the context that he presents his views,I agree with him. That is why he changed current policy and abandoned the 6,000 applications per year in favour of the 18,000.

Unfortunately, it is still not nearly enough to sastify the situation. I am not picking a fight with you... so please accept my question as a genuine desire to see a good solution. How would you recommend Canada address the over-demand for this classification of sponsorship?

[30-04-2005,22:11]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon
(in reply to: Reuniting families immigration priority)
The over-demand is temporary, it was created by the "mini-moratorium" that started in 2002. Before this year, the processing times were about 6-12 months, meaning no over-demand.

Solutions? Well, for starters, the have to allow parents to remain in Canada while their application is being considered like they did it for spouses. They cannot turn 70 years old people into frequent travellers.

Second, for the next 2-3 years, the levels have to be increased to at least 35,000-40,000 per year till the backlog is cleared. In 1994, Canada accepted 41,477 immigrants in this class and has since averaged about 22,000 per year (10% of the total number of the immigrants). After the backlog is cleared, those historical levels of 22,000 have to be restored.

Additional thing: CIC only provides historic data on its website system. They have to start to provide prospective processing times, not historic processing times.

The last point: the government has to be transparent and honest with immigrants. Reducing the number of parents to 6,000 like they planned to do is closing the parental immigration de-facto.

[01-05-2005,01:21]
[**.156.79.16]
prg
(in reply to: Reuniting families immigration priority)
all very reasonable and sensible. Only down side is given the current political climate, I highly doubt that they will bump up the quota until the backlog is cleaned up.

Hopefully they have the courage to advise new and existing applicants about potential waits. Perhaps even offer refunds to those who do not wish to continue with their applications.

I still think an annual quota and then close the que until the following year is the way to go.

[01-05-2005,13:49]
[***.20.170.23]
sharon
Angry and Frustrated with government (in reply to: Reuniting families immigration priority)
Hi Prg,

We applied for our parents visitor visa, they do not want to immigrate to canada and after talking to them so much, they finally agreed to visit us. They are pretty rich and showed assets worth rupees 1 crore in India and here in canada we have family income close 150,000 CAD per annum.

They did all the shopping and got their vacation approved and told the world that they are coming to visit their son in canada.

But then the letter from high commission delhi came saying that if they go they will not come back to india and hence refusing the visa. Now this letter was dated april 23rd, but didn´t the joe volpe immigration minister guy made a hype about granting liberal visas on the 18th april. I am all upset and angry about the games the government is playing. We are reapplying but not sure whether they would get it again though.

May be we should apply immigration to get visitor visa, what a waste of money.

[02-05-2005,14:15]
[**.241.131.34]
dubby
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