Proposals to expand sponsorship list 'irresponsible'
January 22 2010 by Liam Clifford
Canada's immigration minister says that the government will not be revising the immigration policy for Haitians.
Canadian immigration Minister Jason Kenney has ridiculed opposition party calls to extend the categories for Haitians currently being fast tracked in the Canada visa system as "totally irresponsible".
The Canada immigration minister slammed the door shut on MP’s proposals to change immigration sponsorship rules by giving eligibility to relatives of Haitians in Canada, which would include nephews, nieces and uncles.
The plans have been advocated by the Liberals and NDP as a new measure that should be introduced to help Haitians families in Canada.
The party line has been defended by Kenney who says that the immigration rules are based on the previous Liberal government's.
"Following the earthquake we had one Canadian-based officer for my ministry in Port-au-Prince and a damaged embassy and lost files,
"For them to imply that we can now start processing tens and eventually hundreds of thousands of additional applications when we are going to be struggling, burning the midnight oil, just to bring the few thousand close relatives here quickly, is totally irresponsible."
Kenney singled out the Liberal leader for his comments on allowing cousins to be included under the sponsorship programme, saying that the cousins of those cousins would then wish to be included.
It is expected that around 5,000 Haitians will move to Canada under the fast-tracked measures announced last weekend, this is however not a change to the original Canadian immigration policy in which permanent residents of Canada can sponsor family members to move to Canada.
Family members currently eligible include spouses, parents, dependent or adoptive children and grandparents.
For further information on the fast-tracking system currently operating in Canada please feel free to contact Global Visas.
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