Indians to benefit from Canada's family reunification programme
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Jul, 2021 04:31 PM
A record number of 40,000 immigrant families will be allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents to bring them to Canada in 2021.
This means 30,000 additional applications will be accepted as against the annual intake of 10,000 under the Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP), which is aimed at family reunification.
Since Indo-Canadians are one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, they will be the major beneficiaries of the programme.
Applications can be submitted online over a two-week period, starting September 20.
Using the random selection process, those whose applications are accepted would be allowed to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.
Since the sponsors have to show a certain minimum income requirement, the Canadian government has allowed them to include state benefits received during the Covid lockdown towards their income. This will ensure that applicants are not penalised for lost income during the pandemic.
Unveiling the programme, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco E.L. Mendicino said, "The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic. That is why we are delivering on our commitment to help more families reunite in Canada.
"By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Programme, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together."
Ottawa is considering outfitting Canadian police with cameras following protests against violence by some officers, but experts say there is not enough proof the expensive technology is effective.
A Canadian spokesman for families and loved ones who were killed in Iran's Jan. 8 shootdown of a Ukrainian airliner says the regime is waging psychological warfare against them by refusing to release its flight recorders.
COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the US and India but the numbers for BC are being tackled. BC Health Minister Adrian Dix worried about the jump in cases in certain US states.
Charges have been laid against a man from Burnaby, B.C., after the RCMP investigated an alleged sexual assault of a child. The RCMP say a girl, whose age has not been released, and her mother reported the allegations to police on May 7.
The federal government is launching a web-based portal to help connect buyers and sellers of protective equipment used to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
It seems even Canada's top court isn't immune to the digital gremlins that meddle with online meetings. The Supreme Court of Canada plunged into the world of virtual video hearings Tuesday afternoon to keep the wheels of justice grinding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
