* Moscow terror attack: President Putin calls for ‘Humanism, Mercy’ as death penalty debate grows     * No Immediate Relief From High Court, Arvind Kejriwal To Stay In Custody     * 2 gambling scandals are now threatening pro sports, and the problems may run deeper     * No immediate dollar estimate on bridge damage or timeline for reopening, Buttigieg says     * REQUIEM FOR A RAPPER: Sex trafficking investigation against Diddy heating up

Controversial first-come, first-serve parent visa application process scrapped

Posted in Talking Politics

Published on December 16, 2016 with No Comments

Sspots for the parent and grandparent visa program will be awarded by lottery in 2017 after the federal Liberals have scrapped the old first-come, first-serve system that had raised concerns over people paying to be at the front of that line.

Applications for the always over-subscribed program had been accepted only via courier or mail at a single immigration office and since they were processed in the order received, couriers had been doing brisk business promising to be at the front of the line, in exchange for fees that could be as high as $400.

But that system has now been replaced by a random draw, the federal immigration minister has announced.

“We’re ensuring everyone can access the application process by giving them the same chance to have their name chosen,” Immigration Minister John McCallum said in a statement.

Beginning Jan. 3, Canadians will have 30 days to fill out an online form indicating their desire to sponsor a parent or grandparent. From those, immigration officials will randomly draw 10,000 individuals who will then be asked to submit the full application within 90 days.

The change comes after The Canadian Press first reported earlier this year that the previous first-come, first-serve process was seeing couriers charge more than $400 to guarantee applications would be at the top of the pile for the spots available in 2016.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the move to the lottery makes sense, but she hopes the government’s online system is robust enough to handle demand and that those who don’t have easy access to a computer will be able to find a way to apply.

She noted the government recently spent $25 million to speed up spousal applications, but don’t appear to have spent any money on parents or grandparents.

“We know that parents and grandparents contribute in a number of significant way to Canadian society and right now as it stands, we still have a very long wait list,” she said.

In 2015, 15,489 people were admitted to Canada under the program, down from 18,150 the year before.

The Liberals were aiming to admit 20,000 in 2016 and as of June 30, had taken in 8,344 according to data published by the Immigration department.

 

No Comments

Comments for Controversial first-come, first-serve parent visa application process scrapped are now closed.