Kyle Seeback, a member of the Canadian Parliament is trying to pass a bill to ease Super Visa
He is a part of the Conservative Party and Standing Committee for Citizenship and Immigration. A bill named C-242 was proposed by him which had 3 major amendments
With a Super Visa, parents and grandparents of Canadian permanent residents could come to Canada for a time period of 2 years, which too did not require any renewal of status. With a Super Visa, parents and grandparents could come to Canada multiple times in 10 years.
Although certain eligibility criteria need to be fulfilled by both parents, grandparents, and their Canadian child. For example, the Canadian child has to meet certain income requirements whereas the parent or grandparents need to have health insurance with any Canadian-based health insurance company.
Amendments
The first amendment proposed in the bill demands to increase the stay of parents and grandparents coming to stay in Canada through a Super Visa for a continuous time period of 5 years without the need to renew it.
The second amendment proposed in the bill is to allow parents and grandparents to buy health insurance from anywhere outside Canada if they desire so. As this step would save a lot of annual funds for the families coming to Canada.
The third amendment proposed in the bill is to lower the income requirement for the Canadian children who are inviting her/parents and grandparents to Canada. Kyle thinks of completely eliminating this income test but does not consider this as the accurate time to propose this amendment.
He explained this provision by saying that inviting parents and grandparents is not a financial burden, instead, it is a cost-effective step. Parents being the elder members of the family can look after the kids, which will directly have an impact on the reduction in the daycare costs.
The bill has been approved by the first and second readings but the decision of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration is still awaiting. The committee includes the official members of the federal government who manage all the work related to the immigration department and refugee board like formulation of immigration policies, immigration research, etc.
The bill can only change into a Canadian law if it gets approval from the committee on the third reading. And the bill will come into enforcement only after the Governor-General of Canada grants the Bill Royal.
The committee interrogated Kyle regarding health insurance, to which he said that buying health insurance can cost them up to $1,700 CAD and $4,600 CAD each year with no medical conditions.
He further adds to his statements by saying that a proper framework needs to be designed for international health insurance companies to grant insurance to Super Visa applicants. The provision does not give freedom to buy health insurance from anywhere and from any insurance company.
The committee members further questioned this proposed provision by saying that allowing parents to come to Canada with international health insurance may lead to uncertain situations in which the burden of the medical bill may fall on the Canadian children.
In response to the above interrogations, Kyle stressed the Canadian Government to design a strong framework for the eligibility criteria of international health insurance companies. This step will only allow potential insurance companies to enter.
He further gave a reference to an already existing framework built by the Canadian Government for international doctors who can grant medical certificates.
