Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) anticipates that 68,000 family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will immigrate to Canada in the next calendar year, accounting for 26.1% of total immigration. Of this number, approximately 48,000 new immigrants will be spouses, partners or children, while the remaining 20,000 will be parents or grandparents.
Family sponsorship applicants in 2014 can look forward to streamlined processes and fast processing times across the board. This is thanks to efforts that CIC has made to prioritize the processing of family applications, thus making good on its stated commitment to family reunification. Historically, Canada has operated one of the most welcoming family sponsorship programs in the developed world, and it appears that the trend will continue in 2014.
Spousal Sponsorship
This sponsorship stream will continue accepting high levels of spouses, common-law and conjugal partners. Two major changes came into effect in roughly the last 12 months, and it is anticipated that they will remain in place for 2014. They are:
Five year sponsorship ban – An individual who has been sponsored as a spouse is banned from sponsoring another spouse in turn for 5 years after receiving Canadian Permanent Residency; andTwo year legitimate relationship regulation – Spouses or partners who have been in a relationship for two years of less, and who have no children together, will receive conditional permanent residency. They must prove that they continue to live with their spouse or partner in Canada, in a legitimate relationship, for two years before full permanent residency is received.
Because application numbers in this stream are liable to fluctuate, there is at present no cap on the number of applications that are or will be accepted. However, submitting an application as early as possible is the best way to ensure that partners are brought to Canada in the speediest way possible.