Canada: Measures to Strengthen Family Reunification  

Key Points   

• Canada launched new measures to strengthen the family reunification process throughout the country 

Overview 

The government of Canada announced new measures aimed at strengthening the family reunification process. Some of these new measures include the following: 

• Introducing faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing times for spousal applicants; 
• This includes processing most applications within 30 days and ensuring applicants benefit from processing measures specific to their circumstances as spouses and dependents.  
• Launching new and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants. 
• Introducing a new open work permit for spousal and family class applicants; 
• This includes making open work permits available for spousal applicants and dependent children who reside with their sponsor in Canada and have temporary resident status. Spouses, partners and dependents can now apply for and receive an open work permit when they submit a complete permanent residence application under the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (SPCLC) or other family class programs. 
• Allowing open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between 1 August and the end of 2023. 

What are the Changes?  

The Canadian government launched new measures to strengthen the family reunification process throughout the country. According to the government, these measures will ensure that families are reunited more quickly and ensure that more labor shortages are filled throughout the country. 

Looking Ahead  

Continue to check the government of Canada’s website and Envoy’s website for the latest updates and information.