WorldWay Immigration News: The Canadian Immigration Department has announced significant good news! On November 26, local time in Canada, Ahmed Hussen, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, who just completed a visit to China, stated at a press conference in Toronto that the federal government is testing a new policy in China that allows seniors to obtain visas in a shorter time frame.
Visa applicants aged 60 and above will receive priority for Canadian visas
Minister Hussen stated that 2018 is the Canada-China Tourism Year, and Canada expects to welcome over one million Chinese tourists. He promised that the processing time for visas in China would be within two weeks.
The "Canadian Plus Program" is a new policy launched by the visa centers in China. For applicants aged 60 and above, the visa centers will provide preferential treatment, shortening their approval time to facilitate their travel to Canada for tourism and family visits.
Hussen indicated that visa applicants aged 60 and above pose a lower risk and typically do not stay in Canada for extended periods, so the government will expedite their applications. Previously, most Chinese citizens applying for a Canadian tourist visa had to wait about two weeks. With the implementation of the new policy, seniors aged 60 and above will not have to wait as long. The Canadian Immigration Department plans to implement this policy first in mainland China before expanding it to other countries and regions.
Two other categories of individuals can also receive priority for Canadian tourist visas
In addition to applicants aged 60 and above receiving priority for tourist visas, two other categories of individuals can also enjoy this benefit: those who have obtained a Canadian or U.S. visa in the past 10 years, meaning applicants who have a record of entering Canada in the past 10 years or hold a valid U.S. visa can apply for a Canadian visa through this channel. Since they have already provided detailed personal information, visa officers do not need to conduct security background checks on these applicants, thus speeding up the approval process.
Additionally, due to the information sharing between the Canadian and U.S. governments, Chinese visa officers can directly approve applications. Therefore, individuals who have obtained a U.S. visa in the past 10 years will also experience faster processing times for their tourist visa applications.
New visa centers established, Chinese applicants can use UnionPay for payment
2018 is the Canada-China Tourism Year. According to data from the Canadian federal government, approximately 600,000 Chinese tourists entered Canada last year. The government hopes to double this number in the future. To achieve this, the Canadian federal government has implemented the following measures, some of which have already shown results:
1. Allow Chinese applicants to use UnionPay to pay for visa application fees;
2. Plan to connect the visa application website with Alibaba's website, accompanied by instructions in Mandarin.
To assist more Chinese citizens in obtaining tourist visas, the Canadian federal government previously planned to establish seven new visa service centers in mainland China: Nanjing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Jinan, Kunming, Shenyang, and Wuhan, all of which officially commenced operations this month. Previously, Canada had five visa centers in China, located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Hong Kong.
Immigration medical examination requirements may be relaxed, the spring of Canadian investment immigration has arrived
In addition to the new benefits for tourist visas, investment immigration in Canada is also seeing continuous good news. Following the previous announcement of a three-year plan to attract one million new immigrants, recent reports suggest that Canada plans to eliminate the medical examination requirements for immigration applications.
According to past practices, the final step in immigrating to Canada is to submit the medical examination form. If the medical examination of the immigration applicant is not qualified, they cannot immigrate to Canada. Currently, if the government believes that the applicant's health and social service costs exceed $6,655 per year, they typically reject the immigration application.
Minister Hussen stated that this policy does not align with Canada's values of inclusivity for individuals with disabilities, and the government will amend this regulation, potentially even abolishing it entirely.
Currently, the expected direction of this policy reform mainly includes granting exemptions to certain groups; raising the annual medical expense threshold; and abolishing the policy of rejecting immigrants with disabilities and illnesses. Regardless of which change is ultimately chosen, it will have a significant impact on Canadian immigration policy.
The Canadian House of Commons Immigration Committee is currently gathering opinions from various parties to assess the impact of accepting disabled immigrants on Canada's healthcare services over a five-year period, with a decision expected next year.
The new Canadian tourist visa policy has opened the door for Chinese citizens; a three-year plan to attract one million new immigrants; and in the future, immigration applicants may not even need a medical examination... Canada is launching numerous favorable policies to welcome and attract new immigrants with such open and advantageous policies. What are you waiting for? Invest in Canadian immigration now!
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