If you come to live with your spouse "permanently" (e.g., landing or having valid visa to stay for one year or more), it is considered essential. Otherwise, it is optional.
Show that you’re travelling to Canada for an essential reason
- Thread starter kylelowry
- Start date
yikes. so bummed out about this. it's a shame that being with one SO is not an essential enough.
I totally agree with you, it is a shame! But politicians are shameless...
How are politicians shameless in regards to this? I completely understand how it feels to be away from my spouse, we went through this when she sponsored me so I totally get you BUT to use the word shameless when our government chooses public health is totally uncalled for.
Public health has to be more important right now. This is as unprecedented a situation for the government as much as us. We can feel sad and even mad being away from our loved ones but to call the government shameless is frankly selfish. You only think of yourself and how this affects you. Our government needs to think about the whole country. Did you really expect them to prioritize you?
I did not say public health is not important. But making it deliberately unclear about family reunion between essential and non-essential is not helpful. I am totally fine if they make it clear no travel except Canadian citizens or PRs, the policy is theirs to make. However, on one side, they say they encourage immediate family members of Canadian citzens and PRs to stay together during pandemic, and on the other side, they make it unclear about what is essential and try to block the reunion, that is called hypocritical at least.
You do know they are human too right? They are going about this day by day. Not sure where they say they encourage spouses and immediate members to stay together, you mind sending the link to where I can read that? They are being empathetic, I am sure if they had a choice, things would be different but it is not. If you agree that public health is important then you must understand why they are being abundantly cautious. At this time, their priority should be the health of Canadians/PRs, getting money to people who need them, housing the homeless, etc. Immigration and ensuring foreign spouses are here asap just does not seem to be something that should be a high priority unfortunately. Again, I feel for you but we have to view this from a wider point of view. The majority and most needy must be looked after first.
There are multiple news agencies published the following statement from government web page,
What is not discretionary, it says, is for people to spend the pandemic period with their Canadian family member to ensure each other’s health, safety and well-being. “It would be beneficial to all parties, as the reunification of family members is a key point of the Order in Council,” it notes. “This allows for families to be together during this difficult time.”
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/05/03/canadians-with-foreign-national-spouses-face-obstacles-at-border.html
This is not an exhaustive list. Foreigners are also allowed to spend the pandemic period with their immediate Canadian family members to help ensure each other’s health, safety, and well-being. This allows families to be together during this difficult time, the government webpage says.
https://www.cicnews.com/2020/05/canada-refines-definition-of-essential-travel-during-coronavirus-0514270.html#gs.6k2dqv
for foreign national immediate family member(s) to spend the pandemic period with their Canadian citizen family member so they can help to ensure each other’s health, safety and well-being (This section is specifically to allow for the reunification of family members where it would be beneficial to all parties. This allows for families to be together during this difficult time
https://www.nextgenimmigration.com/blog/travel-non-optional-or-non-descretionary-reasons-covid19
Also, the "Orders In Councils" clearly states the followings,
Prohibition
2 Any foreign national, as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, is prohibited from entering Canada if they arrive from a foreign country other than the United States.
Non-application
3 (1) Section 2 does not apply to
(a) an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen or of a permanent resident as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
https://orders-in-council.canada.ca/attachment.php?attach=38990&lang=en
Please don’t quote the star . A person could be a serial killer , with criminal charges up the ying yang, be inadmissible and the star would STILL say they should be allowed into the country . That newspaper has literally no shame .This family reunification mantra was put in place during normal times , correct me if I’m wrong , this ain’t normal times, and maybe people should realize that . That it’s just not about them
they were quoting from the government web. and no, this family reunification is not put during normal times, because during normal times, there will not be any confusion or wrong interpretation. It is putting there trying to show empathy during pandemic
I love all the IRCC and Government fan boys. Of course these fan boys are not affected at all by what is going on WRT IRCC and CBSA policies, because they do not have a current application in progress. full stop!
During the Afghanistan war we had a saying: “If you can’t get behind our troops feel free to stand in front of them!” Unless you’re at war fighting in a foreign country thousands of kilometres away from your family and friends and you don’t know!
During the Afghanistan war we had a saying: “If you can’t get behind our troops feel free to stand in front of them!” Unless you’re at war fighting in a foreign country thousands of kilometres away from your family and friends and you don’t know!
nowhere in your reply do i see anything that says the government is ENCOURAGING spouses and families to be together. it says BENEFICIAL but it does not say "hey you spouses and immediate family come to to Canada" (this is what encouragement is). They acknowledge that families being together is good but nowhere have I heard them encourage it, why? Because they know they cannot make it happen for everyone right now.
Actually, my children have their COPR but they are unable to go here. This is not war we are in right now. It is a pandemic.
I love how people like you assume we can't relate just because we understand the reason behind the decisions.
During what PANDEMIC did your wife sponsor you??? Did 4 months pass after your AOR (pre-pendemic) and still waiting for SA??
I am in Canada, I have been for a while. My children are newly sponsored. The topic here is not about processing times. The topic is about people with valid visas whose travel are not deemed essential.
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The thread title is: Show that you’re travelling to Canada for an essential reason.
I did not see COPR. And yes allot of us are trying to get our spouses here on TRV siting family reunification as “essential”.
You left your kinds and came to Canada, obviously our views on family being “essential” is not close to the same.