Super visa for grandparents
By Gerald V. Paul
So, while parents and grandparents will have to wait until 2014 to be sponsored to Canada, they can still travel on a ‘Super Visa.’
But elderly visitors must have private health insurance during their stay and meet minimum income requirements. Advocates say this will create an instant barrier for many families, favouring those who are well-off.
“This requirement will create a two-tier access to our immigration system. We have argued that there is no research or experimental evidence that parents and grandparents of new Canadians are an undue burden on our social and medical systems,” said Debbie Douglas of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, OCASI.
However, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will start issuing the new parent and grandparent Super Visa on December 1, which will allow older relatives to visit family in Canada temporarily for up to two years.
“So many families say to me they don’t necessarily want moms and dads or grandparents to immigrate permanently to Canada. They just want them to be able to come and stay for an extended period to help care for their kids when they are young and also be able to go back home, where they are well settled with other family and friends,” Kenney said.
The visa - which Kenney said will take only eight weeks to process – will allow holders to enter multiple times over a span of 10 years.
This is the first phase of an action plan to expedite family reunification.
Ottawa plans consultations next year on redesigning the programme to avoid backlogs after 2014.
So, while parents and grandparents will have to wait until 2014 to be sponsored to Canada, they can still travel on a ‘Super Visa.’
But elderly visitors must have private health insurance during their stay and meet minimum income requirements. Advocates say this will create an instant barrier for many families, favouring those who are well-off.
“This requirement will create a two-tier access to our immigration system. We have argued that there is no research or experimental evidence that parents and grandparents of new Canadians are an undue burden on our social and medical systems,” said Debbie Douglas of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, OCASI.
However, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will start issuing the new parent and grandparent Super Visa on December 1, which will allow older relatives to visit family in Canada temporarily for up to two years.
“So many families say to me they don’t necessarily want moms and dads or grandparents to immigrate permanently to Canada. They just want them to be able to come and stay for an extended period to help care for their kids when they are young and also be able to go back home, where they are well settled with other family and friends,” Kenney said.
The visa - which Kenney said will take only eight weeks to process – will allow holders to enter multiple times over a span of 10 years.
This is the first phase of an action plan to expedite family reunification.
Ottawa plans consultations next year on redesigning the programme to avoid backlogs after 2014.
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