WWICS Blog

'Super Visa' Introduced by Canada for Parents of Canadian Immigrants
Posted on:5 November 2011

As per the latest developments, Canada is all geared to introduce a ‘Super Visa’ especially for the parents and grandparents of the Canadian immigrants. This new visa is being introduced in lieu of granting permanent status to parents & grandparents of the Canadian immigrants. This new Parent and Grandparent Visa will be valid for up to 10 years. Also, this multiple entry visa will allow an applicant to remain in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without the need for renewal of their status. This will come into effect on December 1, 2011.

To counter the backlog in immigration sponsorships of the elderly, the Canadian authorities have decided to introduce this new visa category.

Under this special visa scheme, the parents and grandparents of the immigrants would be able to stay in Canada for a very long time without having to leave Canada. As per the current procedure, it takes up to seven years for a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident to sponsor their parents and family to immigrate to Canada.

Presently, 160,000 parents and grandparents are waiting to join their loved ones in Canada, however each year, mere 15,000 visas are granted to the group. The backlog is rapidly growing in number with 14,000 a year. As per a source, the federal government will 'significantly' increase the quota accepted annually for parents and grandparents so as to reduce the existing backlog.

Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney is expected to release the breakdown of immigrants under each stream - economic skilled immigrants, family reunifications and refugees- Ottawa plans to bring into Canada in 2012. He plans to maintain Canada’s immigration levels between the range 240,000 and 265,000 in 2012.

A source opined, "There will be a national consultation from town hall to town hall for input to redesign the sponsorship program. The government is open to all ideas. The four-step action plan will be implemented in 2012."

Delighted with the new development, Lt. Col. BS Sandhu (Retd.), CMD, WWICS Group said, "The announcement of this new 'Super Visa' will now make it easier for the parents and grand parents of the Canadian immigrants to reunite and live with their kids without having to wait for a long time."

He added that parents of the immigration aspirants look for ways to reunite with their members and we at WWICS have helped several families reunite under Canadian Experience class visa category. However, due to the short processing time of the newly announced Super Visa, many family members would rejoice the news.