Family Sponsorship (PGP) - E-Petition to the House of Commons - 500 Signatures Needed - April 2023

[LolaPM]

Hi everyone,

I am sure many of us are waiting for the PGP 2023 announcement, I hope the interest to sponsor form will open this year. I've started an e-petition to the House of Commons with the support of the Member of Parliament to call on the IRCC to improve the Family Sponsorship program. You can sign it here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4385.

Here is the text if you want to read it here before following the link:

Petition to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Whereas:

• Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the rule of law and respect for human rights and democracy;
• The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, says, "Family reunification is an essential part of Canada's immigration system." Some Parliament members also acknowledged that "reuniting parents and grandparents with their families in Canada provides immense contributions to our communities.";
• Nonetheless, the Family Sponsorship program is a lottery system that has many flaws and is essentially closed since 2020;
• For 2021 and 2022, the applications that won were chosen from the 2020 pool of interest to sponsor, leaving permanent residents and citizens with no chance to apply for the program in 2021 or 2022;
• The lottery system is unfair to permanent residents and citizens who were contributing to the Canadian economy throughout their stay and would love to reunite with their loved ones; and
• A super visa, another option to relocate parents and grandparents to Canada, allows them multiple entries to Canada for ten years, however, they cannot get an open work permit and in general, have no rights.

We, the undersigned, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to

1. Open up a submission for interest to sponsor forms in 2023;
2. Lift the arbitrary caps on both invitations to apply and accepted applications;
3. Increase the Annual Levels Plan allocation for this stream;
4. Implement processing standards to ensure that families are reunited in a reasonable period of time; and
5. Develop a better system for the Family Sponsorship program, where eligible applicants could apply to sponsor their family.

I would really appreciate it if you could sign it and share with friends. The petition needs 500 signatures to be presented at the House of Commons. I will keep you updated on this thread.

Thanks,

Lola