Canada meets spousal application targets

The Canadian Government has met its target to reduce the backlog of spousal applicants by 80 per cent and shorten processing times to 12 months.

Over the past year, the Government of Canada has made significant improvements to the spousal sponsorship process, making it faster and easier for Canadians and permanent residents to reunite with their spouses.

Yesterday, Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the government has succeeded in meeting targets that were originally set in late 2016.

More than 80 per cent of those who were in the global spousal sponsorship backlog on 7th December 2016, have now received final decisions for their applications. The spousal inventory has been reduced from 75,000 applications to 15,000 as of 31st December 2017.

“The Government of Canada is committed to family reunification,” said Minister Hussen. “We understand how important it is to reunite couples. It also makes for a stronger Canada. Canadians who marry someone from abroad shouldn’t have to wait for years to have them immigrate or be left with uncertainty in terms of their ability to stay.”

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada plans to welcome 66,000 spouses and dependants in 2018, well above the average over the past decade of about 47,000.

Article published 15th February 2018