October 16, 2023

The Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently unveiled the outcomes of its CFP 2024 Stakeholder consultations. IRCC plays a pivotal role in the Settlement Program and Resettlement Assistance Program, collaborating with various organizations across Canada to ensure newcomers receive the vital support they need. This report aims to dissect the findings and highlights of the consultations, focusing on key areas of improvement, the challenges faced, and the strengths of IRCC’s initiatives.

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IRCC’s Role and Purpose

  • IRCC administers funding for programs aiding newcomers in adapting to life in Canada.
  • The Call for Proposals (CFP) identifies impactful programs to allocate funding.
  • The consultations aimed to gather feedback from the settlement sector regarding potential changes for CFP 2024.

Settlement Program Services and Newcomer Influx

  • Services encompass information, language training, employment, and housing assistance.
  • Canada’s goal is to welcome 500,000 new permanent residents annually by 2025.
  • Upcoming Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 may influence these numbers.

Consultation Overview

  • 1,187 participants engaged in the consultations.
  • Topics included departmental priorities, strengths, and areas for improvement.
  • Findings emerged from seven webinars.

Priority Areas for CFP 2024

The consultations primarily focused on the following priority areas:

  1. Right Services
  2. Right Clients
  3. Right Time
  4. Innovation/Outcomes
  5. Francophone Integration Pathway

Expanding Eligibility to Temporary Residents

  • Suggestions to expand services to temporary residents, like international students and temporary foreign workers.
  • Current services primarily cater to permanent residents, spouses, dependents, and approved asylum claimants.
  • Approximately 2.2 million temporary residents are in Canada.

Staffing Challenges and Mental Health Support

  • Participants noted difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified staff.
  • Enhanced access to mental health support, including staff training, was recommended.
  • A centralized process for newcomers to access settlement services from the pre-arrival stage was proposed.

Flexibility in Funding Allocation

  • Participants advocated for greater flexibility in funding administration.
  • This would enable service providers to adapt to urgent, short-term needs rather than waiting for the next funding cycle.

Reporting Burdens and Data Collection

  • Participants found the reporting process too focused on quantitative metrics.
  • They called for more recognition of indirect services and flexible database options for data collection.

Regional Differences

  • Different regions in Canada have diverse needs for supporting newcomers.
  • Atlantic Canada, for instance, faces challenges due to limited public transportation.
  • Ontario SPOs emphasized the need for collaboration and flexible, limited-time funding.

Areas of Strength

  • The report highlights IRCC‘s achievements in fostering collaboration between organizations and governments.
  • Services offered in single locations outside of business hours were praised.
  • Notable successes include providing culturally sensitive services and a “by and for” approach to service delivery for Francophone newcomers.

In conclusion, the CFP 2024 Stakeholder consultations shed light on various areas for improvement, such as expanding services to temporary residents, addressing staffing and mental health challenges, and enhancing flexibility in funding allocation. The report also emphasizes the importance of recognizing regional differences and highlights IRCC’s successes in fostering collaboration and providing culturally sensitive services.

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May 15, 2023

In January 2023, the number of permanent residents who arrived in under the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) increased by almost 60% compared to January 2022, with 2,065 new permanent residents welcomed. Canada aims to bring in 28,500 permanent residents under the PGP in 2023, and in 2022, 27,255 permanent residents arrived through the program, which was a 132% increase from 2021.

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Canada’s Immigration Level Plans for 2023-2025 target 465,000 permanent residents, with 106,500 under the family sponsorship category, which includes spouses, common law partners, children, and parents and grandparents under the PGP. In January 2023, Canada welcomed 50,885 new permanent residents, a 44% increase from January 2022. Canada has already welcomed 13,000 newcomers under both spousal/children sponsorship and the PGP.

How the PGP works

Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents have the option to sponsor their parents and grandparents for immigration Canada. If approved, the sponsored family member will receive Canadian permanent residence and may eventually be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship. To qualify for the PGP in the past, sponsors had to meet certain requirements.

  • Submission of an Interest to Sponsor form on IRCC’s website between October 13, 2020 (12:00 PM EDT) and November 3, 2020 (12:00 PM EST).
  • Must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
  • Must be at least 18 years old and currently residing in Canada (proof of status required during the Interest to Sponsor phase).
  • Must meet the minimum income level required for the program, which includes the income of both the sponsor and their spouse if applicable. Proof of income must be provided to IRCC.
  • Must sign an undertaking to financially support the sponsored individual for 20 years, starting from the time they become permanent residents. The sponsor must also repay any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members (if applicable) for a period of 20 years.
  • If the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional undertaking must be signed with the province of Quebec.

Since 2020, all invitations to apply for the PGP have been given to applicants who expressed interest in sponsoring between October and November of that year. The most recent PGP lottery occurred in October 2022, and there are still around 155,000 potential sponsors in the pool.

Super Visa

The Super Visa is an alternative to the PGP that allows Parents and Grand Parents of Canadian citizens to visit Canada up to five consecutive years without having to renew their status. This visa is available all year round and is particularly useful for those who live in countries that require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for entry into Canada. With the Super Visa, they can travel between Canada and their country of residence without having to continuously reapply for the TRV.

Parents and grandparents who already have a Super Visa can apply for an extension that can allow them to remain in Canada as a visitor for up to seven years. They can also enter Canada multiple times for up to 10 years. This means that they can visit their loved ones in Canada for an extended period of time without having to worry about constantly renewing their visa.

The Super Visa is also beneficial for parents and grandparents from countries that are exempt from a TRV, such as the United States. US citizens can enter and remain in Canada for up to 6 months per entry. However, with the Super Visa, visitors can enter Canada and stay for up to 5 years per entry. This is particularly useful for those who want to spend an extended period of time with their family in Canada.

Overall, the Super Visa is a great option for parents and grandparents who want to visit their loved ones in Canada for an extended period of time without having to worry about constantly renewing their visa. It is available all year round and is particularly useful for those who live in countries that require a TRV for entry into Canada.

To apply for the parents and grandparents visa, you need to follow a process similar to the TRV process. However, you must provide additional documentation to demonstrate that you will be able to support your parents and grandparents during their stay in Canada. This documentation includes:

  • A letter of invitation from your child or grandchild who lives in Canada.
  • Evidence that your child or grandchild meets the minimum income requirement (Low-Income Cut-Off or LICO).
  • Proof of your parental relationship with your child or grandchild, such as a birth certificate that lists you as a parent.
  • Proof of medical insurance coverage for at least one year from a Canadian insurance company.