New Immigration Measures to Support Family Reunification

On May 26, 2023, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced new immigration measures to increase the goal of family reunification, including:

·        Faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing for spousal applicants

·        New and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants

·        New open work permits for spousal and family class applicants

·        Open work permit extensions for open work permit holders whose permits expire between August 1^st and the end of 2023

Minister Fraser revealed that there would be faster processing times for TRV applications for those who are waiting for permanent residence applications to be finalized and so that families can be reunited sooner while waiting for same. Going forward, most of these TRV applications will be processed within 30 days.

To allow newcomers to seek jobs to support themselves and their families in Canada, spouses, partners, and dependents are now eligible 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. For spousal applicants who hold an open work permit expiring between August 1, 2023 to the end of 2023, they will be able to extend their work permits for an additional 18 months.

If you or your family have a permanent residence application in process and wish to apply for the above measures, please contact our firm for assistance.