Making good on its pledge to family reunification, the federal Government has announced that it will grant permanent residence to more spouses, partners and dependent children in order to reduce the backlog and to speed up processing times.
This year, the Government has increased the number of spaces allowed for spouses, partners and dependent children to 62,000 up 14,000 over last year. The 2016 Budget has allocated $25 million to support faster processing times for family sponsorship for overseas processing and in-Canada processing.
Earlier this year, the Government expressed its intention to decrease the age of dependent children from under 21 years of to under 19 years of age, however, this change has not yet taken place. We will watch the Government closely for an announcement regarding changing the age of a dependent child.
If you would like additional information regarding spousal sponsorships, please do not hesitate to contact us.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.