Sponsors commit to providing support for all members of the family even those who were listed as non-accompanying family members when the application was submitted. Family reunification for all handout: this three-page PDF document outlines the issues this campaign focuses on. Allow spouses and children of Temporary Foreign Workers (including live-in caregivers) to accompany them in Canada. Canadians see family reunification as biggest priority in 2020 A new survey finds Canadians are still positive about immigration, but want to see family reunification as a priority over economic-class and refugee-class immigration. Recommendation: Repeal the Excluded Family Member rule (Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations 117(9)(d)). In March 2017, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) recommended: That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada establish service standards of 12 months for applications under the One-Year Window family reunification program for resettled refugees and for processing applications for dependents abroad of protected persons. Visa officers will also examine an OYW application to ensure that adequate settlement support is in place. Amend the regulations to provide increased opportunities for families to reunite (including for refugee families). All rights reserved. Travel restriction measures: COVID-19 program ... - canada.ca However, Canada’s immigration system treats families unequally: Family separation has devastating impacts on mental health and impedes the ability of refugees and other newcomers to integrate in Canada. © 2020 Refugee Sponsorship Training Program. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program, Groups Of Five Self-Assessment Tool (in progress), Your Rights as a Privately Sponsored Refugee, Persecution based on Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity, RAP (Resettlement Assistance Program) Rates, Form to Declare Funds and Assets on Arrival, How to sponsor a refugee to Canada – the BVOR (Blended Visa Office-Referred) program, The Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP). Refugees in Canada seeking to reunite with immediate family members overseas face very long processing delays.. Take action: Family reunification for all! Family sponsorship. If your immediate family members (spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, and children of dependent children) were not able to accompany you to Canada when you were being sponsored, you may be able to bring them to Canada under the One-Year Window provision. Public data on processing by region and category. Recommendation: Publish data on processing times by category and region, so the public can monitor if standards are met. Recommendation: Introduce the same standard short processing times for family reunification for spouses and children, in all categories and regions. One Year Window applications (for people who were resettled to Canada as refugees). This means that sponsors are responsible for supporting all family members, even those who arrive later under One-Year Window. According to last available data, it takes on average 38 months for refugee dependants (“DR2s”) to be processed. Subscribe to receive email notification about policy / program updates and upcoming events. marriage, Age of Dependency: comments on proposed regulatory changes, Sponsorship of parents and grandparents: comments on proposed regulatory changes, CCR Backgrounder - CIC Consultations on the Parent and Grandparent Program, Bill C-31 – Diminishing Refugee Protection: Submission to Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Syrian refugee family reunion becomes legacy of Regina man who died abroad, La Presse en Colombie-Britannique: entrer au Canada comme dans une auberge, Pas de visas pour les proches de ressortissants vénézuéliens au Canada. Immigration detention and children: Rights still ignored, two years later, Proposed change to Age of dependent children: Comments, Family reunification submission November 2016, Excluded Family Members: Brief on R. 117(9)(d), Equally Human, Equally Entitled To Rights, Strategies for intervening in family reunification cases: Practical guide, Family reunification profiles - Express Entry, CCR comments on proposed regulatory changes re. Refugees in Canada seeking to reunite with immediate family members overseas face very long processing delays. Quickly bring age of dependants back up to under-22 and ensure transitional rules are in place to cover the children who aged out since August 2014, Introduce measures to ensure expedited processing of separated children at risk, Amend the law to ensure that separated children in Canada can quickly apply to reunite with parents or older siblings. To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. It permits resettled refugees in Canada to identify immediate family members who are abroad for resettlement, within one year of their arrival in Canada. Regulation 117(9)(d), the “excluded family member” rule, denies some families the right to reunification. Online immigration forms close within minutes, prompting tears from applicants and criticism from lawyers, Canadians vent frustration on social media after online applications to bring family to Canada fill up in mere minutes, Immigration sponsorship form appears online for less than 10 minutes, Nouveau système de réunification des familles d'Immigration Canada : fini la loterie et retour aux quotas, Feds to temporarily extend one-year period for Yazidi refugees to reunite with family members in Iraq, Ottawa urged to reunite Yazidi refugees with their families to help treat rare disorder, 'There were a lot of tears': Refugee family of 10 reunited thanks to donated airline miles, Girl wins refugee status, but her family could still be deported, Former UN human rights chief calls Canada’s handling of child refugees ‘inhumane’, 'Why did they do this to mommy? The Family Reunification Program is well-ed with CIC priorities and, while the Government of Canada has more recently emphasized the economic benefits that derive from immigration, the Family Reunification Program remains a key pillar of Canada's approach to immigration. Recommendation: Publish data on processing times by category and region, so the public can monitor if standards are met. They seek reunification through: Dependants of refugees (DR2s) category (for people who were accepted as refugees in Canada, or; One Year Window applications (for people who were resettled to Canada as refugees). If the location of the separated family member(s) is known, then after a sponsored person arrives in Canada they can apply for their non-accompanying family members to join them as long as they were declared on the refugee’s immigration forms. But no measures have been announced to expedite family reunification for refugees, even though processing times are MUCH slower than for Family Class. Provide Temporary Residence Permits (TRPs) to family members of survivors of trafficking in Canada. Recommendation: Introduce the same standard short processing times for family reunification for spouses and children, in all categories and regions. Take action: Family reunification for all! : you) and will therefore not need to meet the refugee definition on their own. Family separation also leads to lost economic opportunities – for the affected families and for Canada as a whole. Under the sponsorship agreement and the settlement plan, sponsors are responsible for providing support to all members of a family for the duration of the sponsorship, regardless of the time of their arrival, unless the refugee in Canada is able to provide adequately for their family. Dependants of refugees (DR2s) category (for people who were accepted as refugees in Canada, or. Refugees and live-in caregivers wait much longer for family reunification than people in the Family Class, especially in some regions, such as Africa. Canada’s immigration system treats families unequally: All families have equal value. If you are sponsoring under the Agreement of a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, you will require an additional spot (allocation) for the dependent that is to be sponsored under the OYW. The One-Year Window (OYW) provision can assist with family reunification under certain circumstances. There are no processing times for One Year Window applications. By law: Excluded Family member rule (Reg. Family reunification for all! (Cases of suspected fraud can be addressed through misrepresentation provisions.). By region: slower in Africa and some other regions. Your relatives can live, study and work in Canada if they become permanent residents of Canada. Visit local MPs in constituencies (on or around 4 April). All families have equal value. The One-Year Window (OYW) provision can assist with family reunification under certain circumstances. However, all dependents including those who are still overseas and who qualify for the OYW must meet the other requirements such as the admissibility criteria. To address these challenges, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched 2 new initiatives: a centralized intake of all permanent resident applications for protected persons and their dependent family members abroad, and a … When someone that you sponsored to come to Canada as a privately sponsored refugee would like to initiate an OYW application, your group will be notified of the non-accompanying family member’s application to ensure that you are still able and willing to provide settlement support. The CCR encourages organizations and individuals to: To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty. In December 2016, the government announced faster processing for Family Class spousal sponsorships. Family members identified under the OYW are processed as dependants of the principle application (i.e. Canada’s immigration system treats families unequally: By immigration category: slower for refugees and live-in caregivers.