Canadian immigration speeds up visa applications from Sri Lankans
April 29 2009 by Robbie Ragless
People fleeing the war-torn country of Sri Lanka are to have their visa applications to move to Canada fast-tracked to allow them to join their relatives in the country.
The plan is intended to decrease the Canadian visa application time for parents and grandparents of Tamil-Canadians who wish to live in Canada with their family members to escape the civil war in their home country.
There are an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Tamil-Canadians in Canada and many will be keen to bring their immediate family members to join them in Canada, away from the fighting in Sri-Lanka.
Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister, stated, “We continue to process applications for family sponsorship from Canadian citizens for family members to come here. We have taken steps through our Colombo mission to expedite these applications.”
The war in Sri-Lanka has so far displaced some 160,000 people, while 6,500 civilians are thought to have been killed in the conflict, according to the UN.
In 2008, 1,608 Sri-Lankans moved to Canada by claiming refugee status, and figures for this year to date (since the fighting has increased between the Tamils and the Sri-Lankan Army) are not yet available.
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