Family reunification was always a core pillar of Canada’s immigration strategy. The immigration Minister of Canada, Sean Fraser announced a set of new measures to facilitate the reunification of families of immigrants. In his speech on May 26 at Vancouver, Fraser talked about the importance immigrants play in Canada and highlighted that in order to remain top in welcoming new comers to Canada, they must consider welcoming and giving better options to their families as well.
Immigration, refugees, and citizenship Canada (IRCC), fulfil the prime minister’s instruction to reunite the family by issuing temporary resident visas (TRVs) to spouses and children while waiting for the process of their PR application. This new process of spousal TRV application has approved over 98% of applications for spouses and their dependent children. Earlier there was a backlog of TRV visitor visas for spouses of applicants of permanent resident status, it has now eliminated. Now the processing time for TRV application is 30 days or more. Another positive news is that the processing of new PR applications will be done within the standard 12-month processing time.
The new measures introduced to strengthen family reunification include:
Faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing times for spousal applicants
New and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants
A new open work permit for spousal and family class applicants
Open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between August 1 and the end of 2023
Changes in Open Work Permit
Newcomers always seek job in Canada to support their family. Considering this Canada has also made Open Work Permit available for spousal applicants and their dependent children who reside with their sponson with a temporary resident status. Open work permit holders, whose open work permit expires between August 1 and at the end of 2023 can now extend their work permit for an additional 18 months. IRCC believes that by issuing temporary work permit, work load and stress can be limited by improving financial stability and making it easier for families to stay together and live in their communities. With this program more than 200,000 foreign workers can enter Canada’s workforce, which will help reduce the national labour shortage and strengthen the economy.
Family Class immigration
Family class immigration is the second most popular immigration method in Canada. Implementation of the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 will enable Canada to welcome 118,000 permanent residents a year through family class sponsorship. This includes spouses, partners, dependent children and also parents and grandparents.
The eligibility criteria to sponsor a family member for the sponsor must be:
A Canadian citizen or have Canadian PR
18 years of age or above.
Must be able to support the sponsored person for several years.
Immigration will continue to play a vital role in overcoming Canada’s labour shortages, and together these initiatives will create a positive impact for immigrants and their families.