Delays in Immigration and Citizenship applications
Immigration visa applicants might face delays in the processing of their applications as the IRCC offices are working with limited staff only. Also, applicants will not be able to reap the benefits of Expedited processing of any application except for specific conditions which will be decided by the Migration Program Manager of a particular IRCC office. The immigration ministry may request additional documents needed for all immigration applications. Essential documents such as passports, biometrics, police certificates, medical examinations or any other document that is mandatory as per the Chinese, South Korean, or Iranian authorities will have to be submitted by the candidate. Applicants must note that they will get a window of 90 days to respond to the request letter issued by IRCC for the requirement of any document. Also, if the IRCC has already sent a request letter for additional document requirements, but the candidate failed to respond, he/she will be given 90 days extra to comply. Further, applicants often get confused regarding the biometrics instruction letter which states to provide biometrics in 30 days. However, the officers at the IRCC offices are mandated by the government to allow the applicant 90 days to wind up their biometrics process.Immediate family members exempt from the travel ban
Canada has put restrictions on non-essential international travel in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. As per the travel instructions, individuals who are Canadian citizens and permanent residents may be permitted to take the flight to Canada, provided they clear health screening. Foreign nationals are also prohibited from entering the country. However, immediate family members of the permanent residents and Canadian citizens are excluded from the travel restrictions. They are allowed to board aircraft to Canada. Generally, immediate family members are spouses, dependent children, any children of those dependent children, and common-law partners. However, lately, the Canadian government has updated the immigration instructions and has expanded the blanket of immediate family members. Now the revised definition of immediate family members includes:- Spouses and common-law partners;
- Parents or step-parents;
- Parents or step-parents of the partner;
- Dependent children of the resident;
- Dependent children of the spouse or common-law partner;
- Children of dependent children of either resident or their spouse;
- A Guardian or tutor
Who is a Dependent Child?
“Dependent child” is a parent’s biological child or an adopted child. A child would not be considered a “dependent child” if he/she is adopted by someone other than the spouse or common-law partner of the parent. As per the IRCC, there are two ways through which a child is considered “dependent”. If the child is under the age of 22 years, he is eligible to be deemed as a dependent child. The other type of dependent child is the one who might be older than 22 years but is financially dependent on the Canadian parent because of any mental or physical condition. If the immediate family members are traveling to Canada, they need to present a document proof to airlines to show the family member’s status in Canada. Following documents can be shown:- Canadian passport
- Permanent resident card
- Permanent resident travel document
- IRCC Special Authorization for Canadian Citizens
Family Reunification is Supported
The immediate family members of a foreign national who is staying in Canada as a worker, visitor, student or protected person may be able to travel to Canada.Update for Temporary Residence Applications
Applicants from China who have applied for temporary residence and have to travel to Canada urgently should submit an online application and ask the IRCC Beijing for immediate processing. Likewise, applicants from Iran and South Korea have to submit an online application for urgent processing. Applicants based in China and Iran who were unable to complete their biometrics due to lockdowns or a travel ban can now submit their applications on the webpage. South Korean applicants who are experiencing delays in taking immigration medical exams will be given 90 days additionally to submit the required documents. In addition to this, the Migration Program Managers have been bestowed with the authority to accept applications without biometrics on compassionate and humanitarian grounds. And applicants who live in an area where complete travel restrictions are imposed on them and who wish to withdraw their temporary residence applications can do so by following a procedure for withdrawal requests. Existing temporary residents who are not able to leave the country can do the following:- If the temporary resident status of a resident is going to expire soon, he/she can apply online for an extension.
- If the extension application is under process, the temporary residents can remain in Canada on account of an implied status
- If the temporary resident status is expired, an application for restoration can be made.
