Canada’s family reunification goal is one of its primary commitments and the ideal immigration strategy. According to IRCC’s report on November 29, the department sought to fulfill the immigration strategy of reuniting families. It also claims that it would do so through the execution of a program. This program’s implementation would issue TRVs to spouses and children overseas. Meanwhile, they would wait on their PR application’s processing.
Canada’s family reunification – a summary
On May 26, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser unveiled several fresh initiatives to hasten family reunification. The updated policies include the following:
- Faster processing times for spousal applications for temporary residence visas.
- Newly developed processing methods specifically for spousal TRV candidates.
- A new open work permit for applicants in the spousal and family classes.
- Extensions for open work permit holders whose permits expire between August 1 and December 31, 2023.
The IRCC can speed up the processing of straightforward applications thanks to the new processing tools. According to Minister Fraser, IRCC has recently adopted technology that enables the department to review data on a person’s application. This will help them assess the likelihood that they will be qualified for permanent residence. Also, it will place them in a category easier for IRCC officers to approve. This includes people applying under the family sponsorship program, and the method has an approval rate for spousal TRV applications for spouses and their kids of more than 98%.
According to the minister, all spouses of candidates who have already applied for their PR status are now eligible for TRV (visitor) visas. The majority of these sorts of applications will also have a service standard of 30 days in the future, and applicants will get access to processing procedures tailored to their needs as spouses and dependents.
Open work permit holders also gained access to an 18-month extension on June 7th if their existing permission expires between August 1 and the end of 2023. About 25,000 people are estimated to be affected, including the spouses and dependents of the majority of temporary workers, spouses of international students, applicants for permanent residence status, and their spouses and dependents awaiting permanent residency decisions.
Open Work Permits – TFWP and IMP
Open work permits for spouses of participants in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program as well as the International Mobility Program, became temporarily accessible on January 30 of this year.
The policy will be in place until 2025. According to IRCC, financial stability will be improved by temporarily granting work permits to TFWs’ spouses, dependent children, and common-law partners, making it simpler for families to remain together and integrate into their communities, thereby relieving some of the strain on workers.
Children of principal candidates of all skill levels who are 16 years old or older are taken into account in this measurement. More than 200,000 foreign employees’ families will be able to work in Canada thanks to this program. As a result, according to the IRCC, it will reduce the country’s labor shortfall and boost the economy.
A child’s, spouse’s, or partner’s sponsorship for Canadian immigration
After economic-class immigration, family-class immigration is the second most preferred way to immigrate to Canada.
By the end of 2025, Canada will accept 118,000 permanent residents per year through family class sponsorship under the Immigration Levels Plan 2023–2025. This includes parents, grandparents, dependent children, and spouses and partners.
The sponsor must be one of the following to be qualified to sponsor a family member:
- A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and;
- Someone at least 18 can sustain the sponsored individual for several years.
The level of assistance needed differs according to the number of sponsored people. Additionally, sponsors must sign a financial commitment that holds them accountable for financially supporting their family members for an extended period.
