Ottawa, November 3, 2017 – On November 2, the Honourable Tobias C. Enverga Jr., Ontario Senator, questioned the Government Representative in the Senate during question period concerning the increasing wait times facing caregivers with respect to their permanent residency applications.
“The government recently announced their plan to increase the number of immigrants coming to Canada in 2018 to 2020. Yet, this comes as they continue to underdeliver on the immigration file,” said Senator Enverga in a statement. “The wait times to process permanent residency applications for Canada’s caregivers continue to climb. Since May of this year, the wait times for such applications increased from 47 months to a prohibitive 56 months,” the Senator added.
The questions raised by Senator Enverga examined whether the government would be providing specific attention to caregivers, many of whom have been waiting years to be reunited with their loved ones, or whether the government would allow the wait times for their permanent residency applications to continue to rise.
The Government Representative, Senator Peter Harder, answered, “…as the honourable senator will know, the various categories of immigration classes and applications for visas for temporary residence or other programs are dealt with discretely so that the appropriate resources reflect the priority of the various lanes by which people either visit or gain permanent residency in Canada. The government’s plan, as outlined by the minister, reflects the apportionment of economic class family reunion as well as other lanes through which people gain access. The minister has made a commitment, both when he was here as well as in the other place, to improve the timelines. I will certainly bring to his attention your ongoing concern with respect to the one category that you referenced.”