Family

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is increasing the number of temporary resident visa (TRV) applications it will process for Palestinian extended family members in Gaza from 1,000 to 5,000. This measure aims to help more families reunite with their relatives in Canada.

IRCC will increase certain permanent residence (PR) fees on April 30, 2024. The adjustments affect fees for various PR categories from April 2024 to March 2026. Below is a summary table of the new fees:

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has addressed U.S. Republican senators' claims that Canada’s immigration program for Palestinians from Gaza poses a threat to American security. The senators alleged the program could allow individuals with potential ties to Hamas easier access to the U.S., Miller stated that Palestinian applicants receive temporary visas only valid within Canada and that entry into the U.S. remains subject to American policies and security screenings involving U.S. cooperation.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has put into practice new procedures intended to accelerate family reunification, ensuring that dependants and spouses who may not otherwise be eligible to come to Canada, now have a pathway to reunite with their families.

The demand for sponsoring parents and grandparents significantly exceeds Canada’s available admission targets.

Family class sponsorship enables family members who live in different countries to be reunited and live together in Canada.

Last month, the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA) proposed reforms to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to address outdated policies since its inception in 2001. Here are the key recommendations:

The new measures include:

Any proof of funds letter must:

After submitting a family class application, it's crucial to inform IRCC about any significant changes. If you add a new family member, such as a dependent child or a newborn, you'll need to pay the applicable fees and ensure they complete any required medical and background checks.

The recent update provides the following report:

Starting today, May 21st, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send out 35,700 invitations to sponsors who submitted “Interest to Sponsor” forms for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). This initiative aims to approve 20,500 applications for permanent residence (PR) within two weeks.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced changes to the requirements for proof of settlement funds for 2024. The new regulations specify that settlement funds are now mandatory for certain candidates, contingent on the immigration programs for which they qualify.

Immigration minister Sean Fraser said that temporarily extending work permits to family members of principal applicants in the temporary foreign worker program (TFWP) and International Mobility Program (IMP). This measure will help Canada combat chronic labour shortages

Information on the Canadian education system.

During the processing of a family class sponsorship application, some sponsored spouses, partners, and their dependent children, will come to Canada as temporary residents to be with their sponsor. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced at the end of May a temporary public policy allowing these individuals to work in Canada while their application is being processed.

On October 10, IRCC will begin sending invitations to apply to 24,200 interested potential sponsors, aiming to receive up to the 15,000 complete applications.

Quebec's immigration department will cap family sponsorship applications until June 25, 2026.

IRCC has indicated that more than 150,000 interested PGP sponsors remain from the group that submitted an expression of interest back in Fall 2020. Although there has yet to be any hint as to whether Canada will continue to draw from this candidate pool in 2023, the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan may provide some insight into how the PGP will work next year.

On August 2, on the 10th anniversary of the massacre in Sinjar, Yazidi survivors gathered at Queen’s Park in Toronto to urge the Canadian government to fulfill its promise of reuniting them with family members left behind.