On September 24, 2020, The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced action to speed up spousal application processing.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently increased the number of decision-makers on spousal applications in Canada by 66 percent. This was done in an effort to process spousal applications more quickly and reduce wait times.
Since COVID-19, many applications have been taking longer than normal to be processed. As a result of these delays, some couples’ reunification has been prolonged. Reducing these processing times will help bring families together, sooner.
IRCC is also piloting a new technology designed to digitize paper applications so they can be processed more efficiently by IRCC employees working remotely and at various worksites. In addition IRCC will be piloting technology to conduct interviews with applicants remotely, in adherence with public health protocols.
IRCC’s announced a goal to prioritize and finalize approximately 6,000 spousal applications each month from October until December 2020. This rate will lead to 49,000 decisions by the end of 2020.
With these initiatives, IRCC aims to accelerate, prioritize and finalize approximately 6,000 spousal applications each month from October until December 2020. Combined with processing to date, this rate will lead to about 49,000 decisions by the end of this year.
COVID-19 has created uncertainty for Canadians who are sponsoring spouses for permanent residence. We will continue to search for innovative and compassionate ways to reunite families, while following the advice of our public health experts to protect the health and safety of Canadians.
“We understand that the last few months have not been easy for those who are far from their loved ones in these difficult times. This is why we are accelerating the approval of spousal applications as much as possible. 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
Our Services
Calver and Associates is a leading provider of Canadian Immigration services in Durham Region. We serve clients in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, and beyond. Our Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant has over 10 years of experience in Canadian Immigration law and over four years of experience serving those in the Oshawa area.
We can provide assistance with applications for both temporary and permanent residency in Canada. We handle applications for study permits, permanent residency, family class sponsorship, visitor visas, work permits, and Canadian citizenship. We also handle criminal inadmissibility cases by developing remedies for refusal.
