CHC, Islamabad Spouse Sponsorship Timeline 2009 -2010
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humpakwatan
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http://www.embassymag.ca/page/view/immigration-10-05-2011
While 150,000-plus wait, few parents and grandparents are accepted
Last year, Canada could have let in up to 18,000. It accepted 15,324.
By Kristen Shane Published October 5, 2011
Opposition MPs are disturbed that Canada barely hit the low end of its target admission rate for grandparents and parents as permanent residents to Canada last year, while more than 150,000 lingered in line.
Two top bureaucrats from Citizenship and Immigration Canada took MPs on the immigration committee, who are mostly new to the committee, through a kind of Immigration 101 departmental briefing on Sept. 29.
They told MPs about the government's levels plan, a guide the immigration minister tables in Parliament each year on or before Nov. 1 that includes the number of foreign nationals projected to become permanent residents in the following year, and a range for each category of permanent resident.
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, his party's immigration critic, noted that the department's 2010 immigration levels plan had a target admission rate of between 15,000 and 18,000 in the parents and grandparents category. Canada accepted 15,324 applicants.
Meanwhile, by the end of 2010, 150,965 applications were waiting to be processed in that category. That backlog ballooned to 165,000 as of March 2011.
The government has set the bar lower for this year. The 2011 admission range is 13,000 to 17,500.
The grandparents and parents category is not the only one where the government missed its high target in 2010. According to CIC statistics released in September, the admission rates fell below the upper ends of the ranges set in the levels plan for almost all non-economic classes of immigrants to Canada. That includes other family-class immigrants such as spouses and children, as well as refugees.
But the government exceeded its maximum targets in almost all economic immigrant categories. In 2010, Canada accepted 280,681 immigrants in total, the highest level since 1957, exceeding its 265,000 maximum target. The extra admissions all came from the economic side.
The government's emphasis on admitting economic immigrants is no secret.
"Everything I've tried to do over the past three-and-a-half years has been focused on making immigration work better for the Canadian economy and making the Canadian economy work better for immigrants. So that's really the number one focus," Mr. Kenney told Embassy late last month.
'And, of course, they're dying'
Looking past the numbers, the backlog in the grandparents and parents category, in human terms, is distressing to some MPs.
The CIC website estimates that it's taking staff currently 48 months to assess sponsors in Canada and up to another 55 months to assess the person being sponsored.
"These are the kind of numbers that I think all of us MPs see in our office all the time when people come in and say it's taking eight, nine, 10, 13 years to sponsor parents," said NDP immigration critic Don Davies, in the committee meeting. "And, of course, they're dying."
In responding to Mr. Lamoureux's question why Canada fell short of its high target for the grandparents and parents category, Les Linklater, assistant deputy minister for strategic and program policy, explained that applicants sometimes contribute to delays between the first and second steps of the process.
"Once our processing centre in Mississauga actually releases a sponsorship to our overseas network, it can take any number of months for [applicants] to actually respond to our request to fill out our application forms completely, provide supporting documentation, do their medicals," he told the committee.
Dawn Edlund, associate assistant deputy minister for operations, added that because CIC staff end up spending a lot of time chasing after applicants to get the documents they need to make decisions, the department has moved to stop "babysitting files." The department encourages applicants to give the completed application up front, and if they don't do that, they must start again.
CIC is also updating the way it processes immigration applications by using technology, and moving files from place to place rather than people. That's helping to streamline the process, said the officials.
They are working toward a service standard in the spouse or common-law partner category to process 80 per cent of applications within 12 months. But that service standard doesn't apply to the parents and grandparents category.
Mr. Kenney has acknowledged the backlog and said during the last election campaign that a Conservative government would admit more parents and grandparents in 2011 than the 15,324 admitted in 2010. He is also about to start stakeholder consultations about developing an action plan for faster family reunification.
"I'm not going to include or exclude any remedies," he said.
But he added that last year, nearly 40,000 people applied in the parents and grandparents program. "We cannot realistically admit 40,000 parents and grandparents. That would end up displacing economic immigrants. And I think it's hard to justify a huge increase in admissions for people who will be dependents."
He said all of the economic research he's seen indicates that older immigrants "constitute a net fiscal burden on Canadian society."
But others including NDP immigration committee member Jinny Sims, question that.
"I've got many families living in my riding where one of the partners would love to be able to go out to work," she said in an interview with Embassy. "And if they knew that the parents, the grandparents, were there to look after the children, they would have that security and they would gladly go out to work. And that would add to our economy. And happy families are more productive in their workplace."
Queen's University law faculty associate dean Sharryn Aiken said the assumption that family-class immigrants don't benefit Canada economically is flawed because it uses a short-term time horizon. In the long term, she said, "They are contributing to the success of that family's settlement and integration, for the family that's here already."
Plus, the system is already set up to ensure parents and grandparents are not an economic burden on Canadian society. Sponsors and applicants have to have enough money in their bank accounts to support applicants, she said. And the government has the legal tools to go after defaulting sponsors if need be.
She said the government should do fact-based research to help it determine the correct immigration levels and mix.
To clear up the backlog the government must devote appropriate resources to ensure it can process the applications in the queue in a timely way, she said.
"Clearly, without intake control at the front end we will continue to have these types of challenges where processing times grow," Mr. Linklater told MPs. "I think that's one of the key lessons that ministerial instructions have showed us in the skilled worker category, in that by restricting intake we have been able to work through the backlog that much more quickly."
In 2008, Mr. Kenney issued instructions to visa officers to prioritize the intake of skilled workers from a select list of high-demand jobs, or people with job offers or are already living in Canada.
One of the questions the department floated to participants in summer consultations on the right immigration mix and levels for Canada was whether the immigration minister should use his authority to instruct visa officers to limit intake in other categories, such as parents and grandparents.
When asked whether Mr. Kenney should use ministerial instructions to limit the intake of the grandparents and parents category, Conservative MP and immigration committee member Chungsen Leung said, "I think it warrants serious consideration."
Ms. Sims disagreed. "I would be very disturbed if in Canada we started to use those kind of policies," she said. "Because what are we saying then? We're doing to pick and choose which families can live together? We're going to pick and choose whose parents get to come to join them, or whose grandparents? Which child gets to enjoy their grandparents?"
She says the solution is to use the fees the government collects from applicants to get rid of the backlog, and then look at more long-term solutions. That means hiring more staff, she said.
For his part, Mr. Kenney said he wouldn't want to prejudge the outcome of his upcoming backlog consultations.
Meanwhile, the immigration committee started an eight-hearing study on system backlogs this week.
While 150,000-plus wait, few parents and grandparents are accepted
Last year, Canada could have let in up to 18,000. It accepted 15,324.
By Kristen Shane Published October 5, 2011
Opposition MPs are disturbed that Canada barely hit the low end of its target admission rate for grandparents and parents as permanent residents to Canada last year, while more than 150,000 lingered in line.
Two top bureaucrats from Citizenship and Immigration Canada took MPs on the immigration committee, who are mostly new to the committee, through a kind of Immigration 101 departmental briefing on Sept. 29.
They told MPs about the government's levels plan, a guide the immigration minister tables in Parliament each year on or before Nov. 1 that includes the number of foreign nationals projected to become permanent residents in the following year, and a range for each category of permanent resident.
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, his party's immigration critic, noted that the department's 2010 immigration levels plan had a target admission rate of between 15,000 and 18,000 in the parents and grandparents category. Canada accepted 15,324 applicants.
Meanwhile, by the end of 2010, 150,965 applications were waiting to be processed in that category. That backlog ballooned to 165,000 as of March 2011.
The government has set the bar lower for this year. The 2011 admission range is 13,000 to 17,500.
The grandparents and parents category is not the only one where the government missed its high target in 2010. According to CIC statistics released in September, the admission rates fell below the upper ends of the ranges set in the levels plan for almost all non-economic classes of immigrants to Canada. That includes other family-class immigrants such as spouses and children, as well as refugees.
But the government exceeded its maximum targets in almost all economic immigrant categories. In 2010, Canada accepted 280,681 immigrants in total, the highest level since 1957, exceeding its 265,000 maximum target. The extra admissions all came from the economic side.
The government's emphasis on admitting economic immigrants is no secret.
"Everything I've tried to do over the past three-and-a-half years has been focused on making immigration work better for the Canadian economy and making the Canadian economy work better for immigrants. So that's really the number one focus," Mr. Kenney told Embassy late last month.
'And, of course, they're dying'
Looking past the numbers, the backlog in the grandparents and parents category, in human terms, is distressing to some MPs.
The CIC website estimates that it's taking staff currently 48 months to assess sponsors in Canada and up to another 55 months to assess the person being sponsored.
"These are the kind of numbers that I think all of us MPs see in our office all the time when people come in and say it's taking eight, nine, 10, 13 years to sponsor parents," said NDP immigration critic Don Davies, in the committee meeting. "And, of course, they're dying."
In responding to Mr. Lamoureux's question why Canada fell short of its high target for the grandparents and parents category, Les Linklater, assistant deputy minister for strategic and program policy, explained that applicants sometimes contribute to delays between the first and second steps of the process.
"Once our processing centre in Mississauga actually releases a sponsorship to our overseas network, it can take any number of months for [applicants] to actually respond to our request to fill out our application forms completely, provide supporting documentation, do their medicals," he told the committee.
Dawn Edlund, associate assistant deputy minister for operations, added that because CIC staff end up spending a lot of time chasing after applicants to get the documents they need to make decisions, the department has moved to stop "babysitting files." The department encourages applicants to give the completed application up front, and if they don't do that, they must start again.
CIC is also updating the way it processes immigration applications by using technology, and moving files from place to place rather than people. That's helping to streamline the process, said the officials.
They are working toward a service standard in the spouse or common-law partner category to process 80 per cent of applications within 12 months. But that service standard doesn't apply to the parents and grandparents category.
Mr. Kenney has acknowledged the backlog and said during the last election campaign that a Conservative government would admit more parents and grandparents in 2011 than the 15,324 admitted in 2010. He is also about to start stakeholder consultations about developing an action plan for faster family reunification.
"I'm not going to include or exclude any remedies," he said.
But he added that last year, nearly 40,000 people applied in the parents and grandparents program. "We cannot realistically admit 40,000 parents and grandparents. That would end up displacing economic immigrants. And I think it's hard to justify a huge increase in admissions for people who will be dependents."
He said all of the economic research he's seen indicates that older immigrants "constitute a net fiscal burden on Canadian society."
But others including NDP immigration committee member Jinny Sims, question that.
"I've got many families living in my riding where one of the partners would love to be able to go out to work," she said in an interview with Embassy. "And if they knew that the parents, the grandparents, were there to look after the children, they would have that security and they would gladly go out to work. And that would add to our economy. And happy families are more productive in their workplace."
Queen's University law faculty associate dean Sharryn Aiken said the assumption that family-class immigrants don't benefit Canada economically is flawed because it uses a short-term time horizon. In the long term, she said, "They are contributing to the success of that family's settlement and integration, for the family that's here already."
Plus, the system is already set up to ensure parents and grandparents are not an economic burden on Canadian society. Sponsors and applicants have to have enough money in their bank accounts to support applicants, she said. And the government has the legal tools to go after defaulting sponsors if need be.
She said the government should do fact-based research to help it determine the correct immigration levels and mix.
To clear up the backlog the government must devote appropriate resources to ensure it can process the applications in the queue in a timely way, she said.
"Clearly, without intake control at the front end we will continue to have these types of challenges where processing times grow," Mr. Linklater told MPs. "I think that's one of the key lessons that ministerial instructions have showed us in the skilled worker category, in that by restricting intake we have been able to work through the backlog that much more quickly."
In 2008, Mr. Kenney issued instructions to visa officers to prioritize the intake of skilled workers from a select list of high-demand jobs, or people with job offers or are already living in Canada.
One of the questions the department floated to participants in summer consultations on the right immigration mix and levels for Canada was whether the immigration minister should use his authority to instruct visa officers to limit intake in other categories, such as parents and grandparents.
When asked whether Mr. Kenney should use ministerial instructions to limit the intake of the grandparents and parents category, Conservative MP and immigration committee member Chungsen Leung said, "I think it warrants serious consideration."
Ms. Sims disagreed. "I would be very disturbed if in Canada we started to use those kind of policies," she said. "Because what are we saying then? We're doing to pick and choose which families can live together? We're going to pick and choose whose parents get to come to join them, or whose grandparents? Which child gets to enjoy their grandparents?"
She says the solution is to use the fees the government collects from applicants to get rid of the backlog, and then look at more long-term solutions. That means hiring more staff, she said.
For his part, Mr. Kenney said he wouldn't want to prejudge the outcome of his upcoming backlog consultations.
Meanwhile, the immigration committee started an eight-hearing study on system backlogs this week.
mahmed17
Hero Member
- Apr 7, 2010
- 11
- Category........
- Visa Office......
- Islamabad
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- Doc's Request.
- March 17th 2011- re PCC/imm forms
- AOR Received.
- September 12th 2009
- Med's Done....
- April 12th 2011
- Passport Req..
- June 3rd 2011
- VISA ISSUED...
- June 29th 2011
- LANDED..........
- July 8th 2011 THANK U ALLAH
I know it has been a long time hope that you are doing well, you're always in my duas ;D. Wow mashAllah soon you're going to have your hands even more full with the little one wanting all the attention from youwhywait:( said:ohhhh my my! long time sisterit's good to finaly hear from you
your very lucky that all his family is in US cause now his heart belongs to you 100%, how it should be. I'm not saying that they need to forget about their parents but they need to understand that they chosse this path and they need to be alil stonger!!
hmmm so you are thinking about a babyyy
maybe that will also help to keep your hubby focused on being more positive during his transition into the life here. Everyone is different and for some people leaving thier family home in Pakistan becomes a huge thing I don't think they realize it unitl they are far from them but inshAllah he would settle in soon and get on with his life here when he sees by complaining nothing will change. Well i'm not thinking of a baby right now lol we will enjoy some time together and inshAllah once I finish up my school then we will plan to move onto the next step inshAllah although now any cough I get or a headache or when i caught the bug last week everyone is all over me omg she's pregnant lol it's actually kind of funny when family members call and they keep saying every 2 minutes "so any news you want to share?" and i keep saying "no not really, why do you want to share something?" lol
;D may Allah (swt) make this time easy for you and give you a healthy child who is a good servant to Allah ameen.
mahmed17
Hero Member
- Apr 7, 2010
- 11
- Category........
- Visa Office......
- Islamabad
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- Doc's Request.
- March 17th 2011- re PCC/imm forms
- AOR Received.
- September 12th 2009
- Med's Done....
- April 12th 2011
- Passport Req..
- June 3rd 2011
- VISA ISSUED...
- June 29th 2011
- LANDED..........
- July 8th 2011 THANK U ALLAH
haha that's funny but funny thing is I have not used simplecall since July 7th 2011 which was the day before my husband arrived here..hmm i wonder why lol. Even he says ufone people must be wondering where their loyal customer has gone. Allhumdulillah you are so close to the finish line now, only a few more days to go and inshAllah everything goes smoothly from here on.ONE 2 KA 4 said:
Husband is good he is at work right now but should be home in 40 mins so I am enjoying my free time by studying and taking a nap lol allhumdulillah he is getting used to the busy life here and enjoying himself a lot. Hope that you and your wife will also have a happy life together here inshAllah. Did your sister get any good news?
I have a question please if somebody can help. If I apply for the Pakistani passport for my daughter before applying the Canadian passport Is it OK or there will be problem in it in future. One more thing what is the validity of of LVP somebody told me 1 year but Canada passport office site displaying 3 years.
ONE 2 KA 4 said:Alhum do Lillah, It give me the owner with pleasure to say that my wife got a call from CHC-I at 9:30 PK time to advised her they are sending PPR letter today with TCS and she needs to send the passport along with ticket reservation as soon as possible because medical is expiring on Oct 30,2011 and she must leave PK before that (Masha Allah La Kuwa Ta Illah Billah) We were chating online and she said 1 mint plz I got a call.
Now this ecase address does make logic (Aug29 to Sep 22 address disappeared - email response File is with immigration officer for review)
From Sep 27 to Sep 30 disappeared - email response file is with decision making officer. Also CAIPS were due on Sep 22 but received a letter on Sep 26th saying that consultation required with department before releasing CAIPS thus required 60 days.
Below is my timeline:
File to CPC-M : DEC 7,2009
CHC AOR & ECASE: JAN 25,2010
Remedical & Rukhsati Objection:OCT 21,2010
RePCC: OCT 29,2010
From JAN 5 2011 TO AUG 2,2011 - every email response said file is in interview Q
CHC Received Rukhsati proof : AUG 17,2011
CHC call about PPR: OCT 5,2011
At last party to all of you my forum friends with the names from A to Z who are always stand by there for friendly support and encourging words, Had you friends not motivate me, this process could have been far difficult for me. I personally thanks to every one and do wish and pray that Allah subhna Tallah may give the same happiness to all of you.
Many Many Congrats..
hi everyone,
this might be totally out of context question but i would like to send a 10kg parcel to wife in Toronto so i wanted to know if there is any cheap and reliable way to send it. Im curruntly located in Islamabad so if anyone knows any courier company or any other way which is reliable please let me know
this might be totally out of context question but i would like to send a 10kg parcel to wife in Toronto so i wanted to know if there is any cheap and reliable way to send it. Im curruntly located in Islamabad so if anyone knows any courier company or any other way which is reliable please let me know
mainbucha
Hero Member
- Aug 12, 2011
- 22
- Visa Office......
- Islamabad
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- App. Filed.......
- November 2010
- Doc's Request.
- February 2012
- File Transfer...
- December 2010
- Med's Request
- February 2012
- Med's Done....
- February 2012
- Interview........
- waived
- Passport Req..
- June 2012
- VISA ISSUED...
- June 2012
- LANDED..........
- July 2012
Amahmoo
Full Member
- Mar 23, 2011
- 0
- Visa Office......
- Islamabad
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- App. Filed.......
- 05-08-2010
- Doc's Request.
- 03-10-2010
- AOR Received.
- 03-10-2010
- File Transfer...
- 20-09-2010
- Med's Request
- 12-10-2011
- Med's Done....
- 17-10-2011
- Passport Req..
- 24-11-2011
- VISA ISSUED...
- 10-01-2012
- LANDED..........
- INSHALLAH SOON!
Amirkijaan, your timeline is almost same as mine too, hopefully we receive re-med and pcc sometime soon.amirkijaan said:
Conratzzz ONE TWO KA FOUR
THT IS SOO SWEET
IT TOOK A WHILE BUT IT IS OVER .....
BEST OF LUCK FOR THE DAYS TO COME
PLEASE DO REMEMBER US IN YOUR PARYERS
INSHALLAH SOON THIS WAIT SHOULD BE OVER FOR ALL OF US .............
Mississauga received my application on August 5,2010
Application process started on September 13, 2010
CHC ISL received my file on September 20, 2010
Received a letter from CHC ISL on October 5, 2010 (AOR), provided file # and asked to complete the supplementary form.
I am not sure if OCT 5th or Sept 20th is my AOR
iftikhar505
Hero Member
- Jan 7, 2011
- 28
- Category........
- Visa Office......
- chc
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- App. Filed.......
- 1/09/2010
- AOR Received.
- 1/10/2010
Assalamualaikum,
I would like to congratulate everyone who is getting the visa to join their spouses.
On the other hand I would also like to inform all the brothers and sisters regarding the one big issue of Dengue fever in pakistan. As everyone knows that it is a fever which have killed hundreds of people in Pakistan and none of us would like to see anything happened to our loved ones. and the worst problem right now is that we can't even visit back home because of seriousness of the problem.
This generates an idea that we all should consider a good diplomatic approach through internet to all the concerned authorities may cause them to make an exception to their tough rules which is already hurting everyone as to keeping us away from our loved ones and I think it is about time that we should start this campaign especially if the Government is not considering towards the good will of their own country citizens.
A series of coordinated activities, such as writing to our Pakistani local newspapers Urdu /English and the use of internet to write to all the authorities as well to achieve our objective.
If you would like to join or have any comments please let me know. May Allah make things easier for us. Ameen.
I would like to congratulate everyone who is getting the visa to join their spouses.
On the other hand I would also like to inform all the brothers and sisters regarding the one big issue of Dengue fever in pakistan. As everyone knows that it is a fever which have killed hundreds of people in Pakistan and none of us would like to see anything happened to our loved ones. and the worst problem right now is that we can't even visit back home because of seriousness of the problem.
This generates an idea that we all should consider a good diplomatic approach through internet to all the concerned authorities may cause them to make an exception to their tough rules which is already hurting everyone as to keeping us away from our loved ones and I think it is about time that we should start this campaign especially if the Government is not considering towards the good will of their own country citizens.
A series of coordinated activities, such as writing to our Pakistani local newspapers Urdu /English and the use of internet to write to all the authorities as well to achieve our objective.
If you would like to join or have any comments please let me know. May Allah make things easier for us. Ameen.
Bhuhat Mubarik ho ......you mad my day. May you have blessed life ameen. Please keep us updated about the further progress. I know it would be difficult but you know it would be beneficial for most of us!ONE 2 KA 4 said:Alhum do Lillah, It give me the owner with pleasure to say that my wife got a call from CHC-I at 9:30 PK time to advised her they are sending PPR letter today with TCS and she needs to send the passport along with ticket reservation as soon as possible because medical is expiring on Oct 30,2011 and she must leave PK before that (Masha Allah La Kuwa Ta Illah Billah) We were chating online and she said 1 mint plz I got a call.
Now this ecase address does make logic (Aug29 to Sep 22 address disappeared - email response File is with immigration officer for review)
From Sep 27 to Sep 30 disappeared - email response file is with decision making officer. Also CAIPS were due on Sep 22 but received a letter on Sep 26th saying that consultation required with department before releasing CAIPS thus required 60 days.
Below is my timeline:
File to CPC-M : DEC 7,2009
CHC AOR & ECASE: JAN 25,2010
Remedical & Rukhsati Objection:OCT 21,2010
RePCC: OCT 29,2010
From JAN 5 2011 TO AUG 2,2011 - every email response said file is in interview Q
CHC Received Rukhsati proof : AUG 17,2011
CHC call about PPR: OCT 5,2011
At last party to all of you my forum friends with the names from A to Z who are always stand by there for friendly support and encourging words, Had you friends not motivate me, this process could have been far difficult for me. I personally thanks to every one and do wish and pray that Allah subhna Tallah may give the same happiness to all of you.
MUBARAK HO BHAIONE 2 KA 4 said:Alhum do Lillah, It give me the owner with pleasure to say that my wife got a call from CHC-I at 9:30 PK time to advised her they are sending PPR letter today with TCS and she needs to send the passport along with ticket reservation as soon as possible because medical is expiring on Oct 30,2011 and she must leave PK before that (Masha Allah La Kuwa Ta Illah Billah) We were chating online and she said 1 mint plz I got a call.
Now this ecase address does make logic (Aug29 to Sep 22 address disappeared - email response File is with immigration officer for review)
From Sep 27 to Sep 30 disappeared - email response file is with decision making officer. Also CAIPS were due on Sep 22 but received a letter on Sep 26th saying that consultation required with department before releasing CAIPS thus required 60 days.
Below is my timeline:
File to CPC-M : DEC 7,2009
CHC AOR & ECASE: JAN 25,2010
Remedical & Rukhsati Objection:OCT 21,2010
RePCC: OCT 29,2010
From JAN 5 2011 TO AUG 2,2011 - every email response said file is in interview Q
CHC Received Rukhsati proof : AUG 17,2011
CHC call about PPR: OCT 5,2011
At last party to all of you my forum friends with the names from A to Z who are always stand by there for friendly support and encourging words, Had you friends not motivate me, this process could have been far difficult for me. I personally thanks to every one and do wish and pray that Allah subhna Tallah may give the same happiness to all of you.