Upfront medical examinations are no longer available for Family Class Canadian immigration applicants and remain available only to Express Entry applicants in the permanent residence lines of business.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 20 September, 2017
Sponsored spouses and common-law partners will no longer pass through a period of conditional permanent resident status, after the Liberal government of Canada, as expected, removed the provision, which was first introduced in 2012 by the previous Conservative government.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 28 April, 2017
Sponsors lucky enough to be invited to submit an application to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparents(s) for immigration to Canada have a deadline of July 24 to submit a complete application, including supporting documents.
The deadline looms for the 10,000 sponsors selected at random by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) earlier this week under the Parent And Grandparent Program (PGP).
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 26 April, 2017
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced changes to the application process for the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) for the 2017 application cycle. From January 2017, individuals who wish to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s) for Canadian permanent residence status will first be required to complete an online form indicating their interest in the program to IRCC.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 14 December, 2016
The Government of Canada has extended a pilot program that enables foreign nationals living in Canada who have applied to immigrate as a spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to work while they are waiting for the application to be processed. The Open Work Permit Pilot Program, which was originally set to expire on December 22, 2016, has been extended until December 21, 2017.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 07 December, 2016
In a move that may affect many thousands of applicants across a range of Canadian immigration programs, the government of Canada is planning to change the maximum age of dependent children accompanying their parents to less than 22 years old (i.e. 21 or under). If approved, the maximum age is expected to be increased in fall 2017.
Currently, children less than 19 years of age may be included as accompanying dependents on an application for Canadian permanent resident status. This definition applies to all Canadian immigration and refugee classes, as well as principal applicants who may be sponsored in the family class immigration program. In a statement, the government of Canada described the current regulations as “too restrictive”.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 31 October, 2016
On October 29, 2016, the government of Canada released a draft of a change to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), which would repeal the conditional permanent residence regulatory provisions for certain sponsored spouses and common-law partners. If approved, the change is expected to come into force in spring 2017.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 31 October, 2016
The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly known as CIC), John McCallum, has stated that the government of Canada is planning on introducing changes in the “next couple of months” that will grant permanent resident status to all sponsored spouses of Canadians immediately upon arriving in Canada.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 01 March, 2016
As has been widely expected, the number of applications to be accepted annually for the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) has been doubled from 5,000 to 10,000. Through the PGP, Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada permanently.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 29 February, 2016
As has been widely expected, the number of applications to be accepted annually for the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) has been doubled from 5,000 to 10,000. Through the PGP, Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada permanently.
Read moreThe CanadaVisa Team - 29 February, 2016