Recently, the federal immigration authorities in Canada have introduced a series of favorable policies. Since the official implementation of the new immigration and citizenship Act (Bill C-6) on October 11, requirements such as residency duration and age limits for language testing have been relaxed. This marks the fulfillment of multiple promises previously made by the federal immigration authorities and has been highly praised by Chinese immigrants. To align with the new policies, the immigration authorities have also updated citizenship applications and guidelines; from now on, a landing paper is no longer required for citizenship applications.
Meanwhile, the previously amended Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which will take effect on October 24, also relaxes the upper age limit for children accompanying their parents in immigration applications. This change in the maximum age limit affects all Canadian immigration and refugee cases, as well as family reunification (sponsorship) immigration programs! Below, let us join the editors at Worldway Immigration Group to learn about the specific benefits.
I. Cancellation of the Landing Paper Requirement
The citizenship application form has been shortened from 8 pages to 6 pages. The "landing paper" item has been removed from the list of required documents. Individuals applying for citizenship on or after the 11th of this month no longer need to submit this proof of status document.
In addition to the cancellation of the landing paper requirement, the section in the old form regarding proof of the applicant's language proficiency, which included "diplomas, certificates, or transcripts from secondary or post-secondary institutions completed in English or French outside of Canada," has also been removed. Some applicants are concerned that the immigration authorities will no longer accept these credentials to prove language proficiency. However, the immigration authorities have stated that applicants may still submit the aforementioned supporting documents as supplementary evidence.
II. Raising the Maximum Age for Dependent Children to 22
The federal immigration authorities previously amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, stating that the maximum age for unmarried or common-law dependent children to accompany their parents in immigration applications has been raised from 19 to 22.
In August 2014, the federal immigration department lowered this age limit from 22 to under 19. At that time, many young people between the ages of 19 and 21 no longer met the eligibility criteria for economic immigration and were forced to immigrate separately from their parents. Now, with the implementation of the new regulations, this is undoubtedly an unmissable opportunity for applicants with children between the ages of 19 and 22.
It is worth mentioning that the new regulation also includes an exception clause: dependent children aged 22 or older who are physically or mentally unable to support themselves financially without their parents may also apply for immigration with their parents.
It should be clarified that because this new policy is not retroactive, the age limit remains 19 for applications submitted between August 1, 2014, and October 24, 2017.
May Attract More Foreigners Who Value Family and Children's Education to Immigrate to Canada
In the middle of the year, the Canadian immigration department released its work report for the first quarter of 2017. Data shows that in the first quarter of this year, 7,770 Chinese people landed in Canada as permanent residents, an increase of 85% compared to the same period last year. Last year's data showed that the number of new immigrants from China in the first quarter of 2016 was 4,195; it is no exaggeration to describe such data as a "surge."
Worldway immigration experts state that Canada, as a classic major immigration destination, has always been one of the most popular destinations for foreign investors due to its superior living environment, pleasant scenery, comprehensive social welfare system, world-class educational resources, and inclusive, multicultural society. With the numerous favorable immigration policies and measures introduced by Canada in 2017, this is currently the golden period for investment immigration to Canada. Although the impact of these new policy changes is limited to a specific group of people, for foreigners who value family and children's education, the number of relevant types of immigration will undoubtedly increase. Especially for investors who need to handle Canadian investment immigration and whose accompanying children were previously restricted by policy, it is recommended that such individuals seize the opportunity and submit their applications as soon as possible—the earlier you apply, the sooner you can have peace of mind!
