Dear Mr Brown:

I heard that a recent change to Canadian law is that siblings can now be sponsors for permanent residence. Is that true?

— AJT

Dear AJT:

With the recent change in Government, I have been receiving many questions regarding changes and potential changes to Canadian immigration policy. I can give a highlight of changes based on recent speeches by government officials.

Canada has an aging population, with a longer life expectancy and a relatively low birth rate. Accordingly, the country needs immigration to grow the population and economy,

Regarding Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Policy, the new government — led by Justin Trudeau — has pledged to make family reunification a core priority, welcome new immigrants as a key strategy to job creation and long-term economic growth for the middle class, and place emphasis on humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees to demonstrate fairness and compassion.

Promises

Specific promises that have been made recently include the following:

1. The number of applications allowed for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents will double to 10,000 per year. In addition, the budget for processing family class applications will be increased to lower processing times.

2. There will be greater access to applicants who have Canadian siblings.

3. The maximum age for dependents will be restored to 22, after the previous government lowered the age to 18.

4. The government has promised to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada before the end of 2015.

5. The ban by the previous government on refugees having medical coverage will be cancelled.

6. Barriers to allowing international students to become permanent residents will be removed.

Suggestions by policy critics

There has been a call by some critics to scrap the Express Entry programme and return to the Skilled Worker Immigration and Canadian Experience Class programmes that existed before January 1, 2015. The Skilled Worker programme was oversubscribed with a backlog lasting over eight years. The long processing time was due to the programme’s popularity and success.

While acknowledging the programme’s effectiveness in attracting quality immigrants, many critics have stated that the programme should be maintained with quotas for each skilled worker category to prevent the backlog.

The Canadian Experience Class has benefitted the Canadian economy. International students who are educated in Canada and have Canadian work experience make excellent candidates for permanent residency. As such, critics have maintained that the programme should stand alone, rather than being included in the Express Entry programme to force applicants to compete for permanent residence.

In response to your specific question, such sponsorship is already in effect, but must meet certain conditions.

Please visit jamaica2canada.com for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence Programmes, including Express Entry, the Study and Work programme, visitor’s visas or appeals.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel, education agent and managing director of jamaica2canada.com — a Canadian immigration and education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to jamaica2canada@gmail.com.