Canadian Parliamentarian Kyle Seeback suggests some changes in a new bill to support parents and grandparents visiting Canada.
The changes in super visas will have an effect on super visas for parents and grandparents. Presently, Canadian parents and grandparents can travel for two consecutive years with a super visa without renewing their visa status. This visa allows multiple entries itself into Canada over 10 years. It is the same as the parents and grandparents’ program. The Canadian child or grandchild has to meet a minimum income requirement set by the government of Canada. Also, parents and grandparents must have medical insurance coverage with a Canadian company.
As setback is a part of the Conservative Party, A bill C-242 proposed by him which have three major changes.
Firstly, Seeback demands that parents and grandparents are allowed to stay for five years without renewing their visas.
Another purpose is that super visa applicants are allowed to purchase medical insurance from countries other than Canada. Feedback says this could save families thousands of dollars in insurance costs per year.
Canadian people who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents in Canada should reduce the income cut-off. Seeback thinks the earnings test should be abolished entirely for this category; he doesn’t think it’s the right time to do so.
The idea of bringing a parent or grandparent to live with you is wrong,” Seeback said, “What I really found … is that when the parent or grandparent comes over it’s that Increases the economic well-being of the family … It may be that they are giving some depletion in daycare costs because a parent or grandparent is there to help with the family.”
The first and second reading of the bill has passed and now it is being studied by the committee of Citizenship and Immigration. The Standing Committee consists of elected federal officials of government.
His endorsement is to superintend the federal policy which is related to immigration and multiculturalism, as well as to oversee the Department of Immigration and the Refugee Board of Canada. They manage the studies and make suggestions to guide the policy of immigration.
Before starting its third reading, the bill has to be passed by the committee of immigration. The bill becomes law after completing its third reading and consideration by the senate. The Governor-General would then have to give royal assent to the bill, after that it will come into force.
Committee members questioned Seeback’s bill, specifically relating to items on insurance. Seeback introduced the idea of allowing parents and grandparents to purchase insurance internationally while pointing out that in the early seventies it cost CAD 1,700 for someone without a pre-existing medical condition. and can be CAD 4,600 per year.
“This does not mean that you can go to any insurance company anywhere in the world,” Seeback told the committee, “I am encouraging the minister to establish a framework for the ground rules when an insurance company Qualified so that people can buy insurance outside the country.”
Concerns over allowing super visa holders to come to Canada with their own insurance stem from the fact that it could fall on the Canadian taxpayer if a foreign insurance company is unable to cover medical bills.
Responding to questions posed by committee members, Seeback said he was confident that the government could put in place a framework to ensure that foreign insurance companies could cover medical costs in case super visa holders became ill. Canada currently has a framework in place to determine which international doctors can issue medical clearance certificates, he says, adding that something similar should be possible for insurance companies.
Although he said he did not know how soon the framework might be installed, he said it would be “worth the wait”.
“It would be great for Canadian families,” Said Seeback.
