Canada halts new applications to sponsor parents, grandparents under family reunification programme
The department said the decision has been taken to manage the immigration system more efficiently and reduce the long waiting time for applications.
PTC News Desk: Canada's immigration department has announced that permanent residents living in the country will not be able to submit new applications under the Family Reunification Program this year.
The department said the decision has been taken to manage the immigration system more efficiently and reduce the long waiting time for applications. At present, the processing time under the program is around five-and-a-half years in Quebec and nearly three years in the rest of Canada.
Officials said that about 60,500 applications are already being processed. New rules and policies for future applications will be decided only after these pending cases are cleared.
The Family Reunification Program was introduced through a lottery system in 2020. More than 200,000 eligible people applied, but only those selected through the draw were invited to submit full applications.
The department said that only 15,000 invitations will be sent this year from among the existing applicants. It also made it clear that applications beyond the fixed annual quota will not be accepted in the future.
At the same time, the department encouraged people to use the Super Visa program as an alternative for bringing their parents and grandparents to Canada.
Under the Super Visa, permanent residents and Canadian citizens can invite their parents and grandparents to stay with them in Canada continuously for up to five years.