Good news for the New Year in Canada! New immigration rules are coming that will help families immigrate to Canada! Starting on January 1, 2014,Family Class Sponsorship regulations will nowpermit Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents, grandparents, spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, and dependent child(ren). Canada has also implemented a Super Visa Program that will allow parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to enter Canada as long-term visitors. Once successfully sponsored, family members can apply for a permanent residency in Canada. But it is important to note that only 50,000 applications will be accepted during the year and applicants will have to comply with a new set of criteria that increases the financial responsibility of the sponsor:
- A minimum required income of the sponsoring person must be proved with documents issued by the Canada Revenue Association over the three previous years before sponsorship is permitted;
- Sponsors must agree to be financially responsible for the family member(s) for a period of 20 years;
- Sponsors must repay any social assistance given by a Canadian province to their parents or grandparents for 20 years after they become permanent residents, including healthcare costs not covered by provincial health care;
- Accompanying dependents must be younger than 19 years of age, except for those with a physical or mental disability, otherwise they will have to make a separate and independent application.
There will likely be a backlog of applications and long processing times because families have been waiting for the Canadian government to put this program back into effect since it was closed November 2011. The good news is that Canada has implemented an Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification to help reduce the backlog. So ring in the New Year in Canada! Families can now reunite and enjoy a happy, prosperous life in Canada!