Breaking News: Canada Introduces New Measures to Strengthen Family Reunification & Support Newcomers

In a significant development today, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, alongside Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre, unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at expediting family reunification and empowering newcomers as they settle in Canada.
Minister Fraser's announcement emphasized the urgent need to bring families together, especially during significant milestones such as relocating to a new country. With this objective in mind, Canada has implemented measures to facilitate quicker and smoother family reunification processes, while also extending support to families upon their arrival.
One of the key enhancements highlighted by Minister Fraser is the faster processing of temporary resident visas for spousal applicants. Thanks to streamlined procedures and dedicated processing tools, most of these applications will now be completed within a remarkable 30-day timeframe. These new measures are tailored specifically to meet the unique circumstances of spouses and dependents, resulting in an impressive 93% approval rate among applicants benefiting from these improvements.
Furthermore, Minister Fraser also announced the introduction of a new open work permit designed for spousal and family class applicants. Recognizing that newcomers often seek employment opportunities to sustain themselves and their families, this provision allows spousal applicants and their dependent children, residing with their sponsor in Canada and possessing temporary resident status, to apply for and receive an open work permit as soon as they submit a complete permanent residence application under the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class or other family class programs.
To ensure continued support for open work permit holders, Minister Fraser disclosed that spousal applicants and others holding open work permits expiring between August 1 and the end of 2023 will have the opportunity to extend their work permits for an additional 18 months. This extension, similar to the recent provision for expiring post-graduation work permits, provides valuable continuity for individuals as they navigate their path to permanent residence.
These groundbreaking measures signify Canada's commitment to addressing labor shortages through strategic immigration policies while fulfilling Minister Fraser's mandate letter commitment to bolster family reunification efforts. By facilitating temporary resident status for spouses, partners, and dependent children awaiting permanent residence, these initiatives reinforce the vital role of immigration in shaping Canada's future.
Subscribe to our channel for more information on Canadian immigration, citizenship, work permits, study permits, and visitor visas.
/ @immigrationcanada-allied