Key Highlights
A huge change in the Canadian immigration policy has been announced regarding the sponsorship of parents and grandparents. IRCC’s decision to scrap this rule was announced shortly after being unsure of the country’s approach to family reunification and immigration management.
Key Changes and Implications
Applications for the popular parents and grandparents program will be shut down through 2025. Therefore, despite the 2024 receipt of sponsorship applications, IRCC will deal with a maximum of 15,000 applications. The step is one of a number of measures aimed at controlling the level of immigration and dealing with existing application backlogs.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller also said that the government's overall immigration and family reunification objectives align with this pause on flights. The reduction in permanent resident targets for 2025 is 20 per cent, and PGP's share is affected, the decision reflects, as per the report by ET.
Impact to Current and Future Applicants
Those who applied in 2024 will have their application processed, but only up to a limited cap. But those seeking to sponsor parents or grandparents for permanent residency in 2025 will have to look to other means or wait for IRCC further instructions.
Family Reunification options
While the PGP applications are on hold, Canadian citizens and permanent residents still have options to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada for extended periods:
1. Super Visa: At this point, this is still a viable alternative, permitting parents and grandparents to come to Canada for five years.
2. Visitor Visas: There are still Standard visitor visas for shorter stays.
Reasons Behind the Decision
The Canadian government cites several factors for this policy change, such as:
- Backlog Management: At the time of writing (late 2023), over 40,000 parent and grandparent sponsorship applications were under review.
- Processing Efficiency: The pause is meant to help speed up processing times that languished at 24 months in 2023.
- Adjusted Immigration Targets: Over the next three years, Canada will reduce overall immigration numbers.
The Broader Immigration Policy Shift
It's part of a larger recalibration of Canada's immigration strategy. The government said it will slash its target for permanent residency from 500,000 to 395,000 in 2025, with further cuts to follow.
These changes have been backed up by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has expressed clear support for moving away from the country's current means of managing population growth and the economic integration of newcomers.
Reactions and Concerns
The announcement has mixed responses. But people cheered the decision as a necessary step to better control immigration and worried about it disrupting families trying to be reunited.
The long-term implications of family reunification policies and the threat of future separations have immigration advocates concerned.
Future Outlook
It has not been spelt out when new applications may start. Processors can still expect further policy adjustments based on their processing capacity and wider immigration goals as the situation remains fluid. Stakeholders are advised to keep abreast of what may or may not change and investigate all available family reunification options.
Conclusion
Canada has made a major change to its immigration policy with the decision to pause all new parent and grandparent sponsorships for 2025. Though meant to improve processing backlogs and meet new immigration targets, this change has impacted many families. While Canada deals with these changes, family reunification and meeting broader immigration management objectives will need to be juggled. The government will continue to discuss and possibly revise policies in the coming months as it evaluates these changes’ effect on their immigration system and the families they’ve affected.
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