Ottawa – Honorable Marco EL Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, has announced an action to speed up the processing of spouse immigration applications to help families build their lives together in Canada.
Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) has increased the number of people working in the decision process on spouse requests in Canada by 66%, which will significantly reduce the waiting time for couples.
“WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE LAST MONTHS WERE NOT EASY FOR THOSE WHO ARE AWAY FROM THEIR SPOUSES IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES. THAT’S WHY WE ARE ACCELERATING THE APPROVAL OF SPOUSE APPLICATIONS (AS). OUR GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO FIND NEW WAYS TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER. “
– The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
The IRCC is taking advantage of a new technology, in a pilot program, to digitize orders originally made on paper, so that they can be processed more efficiently by IRCC employees who work remotely and in different workplaces. In addition to implementing facilitating biometric measures, the IRCC will be testing, in early October 2020, technology to facilitate conducting interviews with candidates at a distance, in accordance with public health protocols.
With these initiatives, the IRCC aims to accelerate, prioritize and finalize around 6,000 spouse requests each month, from October to December 2020. Combined with processing so far, this fee will lead to around 49,000 decisions by the end of the year. end of this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty for Canadians who sponsor spouses for permanent residence. The Canadian government indicates that it is looking for innovative and compassionate ways to bring families together, while following the advice of public health experts to protect Canadians’ health and safety.
