Thank you for your correspondence of May 15, 2017, addressed to the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, concerning your sponsorship undertaking on behalf of your husband’s application for permanent residence.
Your concerns are noted and we appreciate your reasons for writing. We realize that you are looking forward to having your husband join you in Canada. Please be assured that every effort is being made to finalize the applications of spouses and partners as quickly as possible.
However, over the past few years, more people have applied to come to Canada in the spousal category than there was space for them in previous immigration levels plans, thus creating a backlog. Since December 2016, the Department has committed to processing the majority of new spousal sponsorship applications for spouses, partners and dependent children within 12 months of receipt, as well as the majority of existing ones by the end of December 2017.
Please note that spousal sponsorship is a two-step process. The sponsor must be assessed against the requirements of sponsorship and the foreign national being sponsored must be assessed against the statutory requirements of being in good health and of good character. In addition, the officer must be satisfied that the applicant is admissible to Canada, and, in the case of spouses and partners, that the relationship is genuine and not entered into for immigration purposes only.
Maintaining the integrity of our immigration program is a priority of the Government of Canada. Individuals who want to live permanently in Canada must meet certain requirements which include medical, criminality and security clearances. These requirements exist to protect the interests and safety of Canadians. The onus rests on the applicant to prove that he or she has met the requirements for entry to Canada or that admission would not be contrary to legislative requirements.Furthermore, the need for further analysis of some cases by immigration and/or visa officials can also result in further delays.