Canada\u2019s Conservative government claims to be improving the immigration system and improving the processing of economic class immigrants and refugees.\u00a0 But it continues to neglect family class immigration. The processing times for family sponsorship are steadily increasing, leading critics to call the system uncaring, inflexible and inhumane.<\/p>\n
It currently takes 27 months to sponsor a husband or wife already residing in Canada through the in Canada stream and almost four years to assess a sponsor\u2019s eligibility to bring in their parents and grandparents – who then must wait several more years to complete the formalities at Canadian visa agencies abroad.<\/p>\n
There are numerous anecdotal examples of families facing long delays.\u00a0\u00a0 For some the view is that the federal government department has adopted an insensitive approach to the process.<\/p>\n
Djordje Momcilovic has a dim view of the situation. \u201cI\u2019m a proud Canadian and grateful for the opportunities this country has given me,\u201d says Momcilovic. \u201cBut I\u2019m not proud that the Canadian government is promoting family values and reunion but in fact it is keeping and tearing families apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Analysts confirm the work culture at the immigration department has become more rigid and inflexible since the Conservatives started governing in 2006, with the system becoming more centralized and an increasing disconnect between applicants and decision-makers.<\/p>\n
NDP\u2019s multiculturalism critic Andrew Cash says MPs are constantly bombarded with requests for assistance in dealing with immigration issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see all manner of stories that really break your heart and are costly for Canada,\u201d says Cash. \u201cThis government has failed to deal with the backlogs, and it is wreaking havoc in people\u2019s lives. Right now, our bureaucracy is in a very tough time. We are seeing it not just at Citizenship and Immigration Canada but in other departments and ministries, where more and more power and control is concentrated at the minister\u2019s office.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander\u2019s office has said that in 2015 Canada will grant permanent residency status to around 70,000 people under the family class.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnecdotal accounts are not necessarily more broadly representative or, unfortunately, even factual in some cases,\u201d says Kevin Menard, spokesperson for Chris Alexander. \u201cEach case is unique, and each is assessed on its merits based on the information applicants provide to officials. We are working to eliminate backlogs and reduce processing times.\u00a0 Our government is committed to reuniting as many spouses and partners as possible, as quickly as possible, while ensuring permanent resident targets are met for all immigration streams,\u201d says Menard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Canada\u2019s Conservative government claims to be improving the immigration system and improving the processing of economic class immigrants and refugees.\u00a0 But it continues to neglect family class immigration. The processing times for family sponsorship are steadily increasing, leading critics to call the system uncaring, inflexible and inhumane. It currently takes 27 months to sponsor a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":481,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4859,3337],"tags":[3354,70128,58971],"class_list":["post-11553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lactualite-canadienne","category-non-classifiee","tag-canada-fr","tag-family-class-immigration-fr","tag-family-sponsorship-fr","category-4859","category-3337","description-off"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/481"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11553"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11553\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}