IRCC to Accept 20,000 Parent Sponsorships in 2019, Controversial Lottery System Scrapped
The Liberal government just scrapped the lottery system under the reunification program for immigrant families.
Faced with increasing criticism, the Liberals have now introduced an online system which will favor applicants on a first come, first served basis.
Number of applications under the program has been enhanced to 20,500 in 2019 and 21,000 in 2020.
Increased Number of Applications
Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will gradually increase the number of applications under the program. 2018 will see 17,000 applications being accepted, followed by 20,000 applications in 2019.
IRCC press release mentioned that the sponsors would be invited to submit an application to sponsor their parents and grandparent in the order in which their interest to sponsor was received. The random selection process of the sponsors will no longer be followed.
In 2017, 95,000 Canadians applied online to sponsor their family members, from which just 10,000 were invited to submit their sponsorship application.
New & Improved System
IRCC Minister, Ahmed Hussen defended the lottery system saying it was an improvement over the earlier system. He also mentioned that the lottery system was based on luck. He further stated that it was unfavorable to immigrant families and many did consider it biased on geographical factors.
IRCC also mentioned that the first come first served order will help in enhancing client experience and rationalize program access. Immigration Lawyers welcomed the decision as fair and reasonable.
Previously, huge backlogs were observed in the family reunification program as the applicant’s number massively exceeded the number of positions available.
In 2011, there were more than 167,000 applicants which fell to 26,000 in June 2018.
Few immigration lawyers hoped that quotas would not be considered under the program and stated that a higher number of applications not necessarily will translate to more people entering Canada.
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We provide quality legal counsel and personalized care to ensure you and your family reunification has successful outcomes. Call us today to complete your family.
