Family reunification | Deadlines jump to almost three years

The deadlines for sponsoring a spouse living abroad, already twice as long as elsewhere in Canada, continue to increase in Quebec. Last week, The Press reported that they were 27 months. They have since jumped to 33 months, almost three years. In the other provinces, they remained at 13 months.

“We try to remain optimistic, but of course we are really discouraged,” says Mélanie, a Montrealer who has been trying, since July 2022, to sponsor her Moroccan husband, a construction contractor, whose Quebec selection certificate ( CSQ) has been issued since January. “He is not allowed to come, even for a visit. »

These delays could further increase because the number of places for family reunification is capped in Quebec. As requests exceed available places, the number of families waiting for a decision increases. It reached 38,800 in July.

“We are sensitive to the stress that these delays cause for families,” reacted the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration of Quebec (MIFI), attributing responsibility to the federal government.

“We are working with the federal government to improve deadlines in all of our programs, once the Quebec selection certificates have been issued, the processing of the file is the responsibility of the federal government, which admits people based on the targets set by Quebec », Specified in writing the political attaché in the office of the Minister of Immigration, Christine Fréchette.

However, as the maximum admissions established by Quebec is practically reached this year, the federal government could hardly accelerate the processing of applications, since this would lead it to accept more candidates for sponsorship and therefore exceed the quotas set by the government Legault. The press secretary of federal minister Marc Miller also declared to The Press that the Government of Canada’s hands were tied because of these quotas.

The opposition criticizes the government

Opposition immigration spokespersons believe that the Legault government has the power to act to reduce the wait for thousands of families.

“The delays will continue to increase,” laments Québec solidaire MP Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, who practiced as a lawyer in immigration law for 10 years before making the leap into politics. “I think we’re going to be at 40 months this winter. It’s just a mathematical issue: there are more people who apply than people who are accepted. »

He adds that Minister Marc Miller “exposes himself to the risk of legal action for excessive delays” from Quebec families waiting for sponsorship, because this category of immigration is a federal responsibility.

The Liberal Party’s immigration spokesperson, Monsef Derraji, also believes that the delays will not improve.

“How is it that outside Quebec, in the same country, citizens can have their spouse next to them in less than a year, and that in Quebec, it takes three years? »

Nathalie Coursin, member of the Québec Réuniqué collective, also asks herself the question. “The Quebec population really needs to understand that our immigration category could be their immigration category one day,” she explains. This is the forgotten category of the immigration plan, but it is the one that concerns everyone. »

For his part, the PQ co-spokesperson on immigration, lawyer Stéphane Handfield, believes that the government must “be honest and transparent with these people who wish from the start to sponsor a family member, tell them that, unfortunately, it may be long and even, in some cases, very long.”

M^e Handfield invites Quebec to “play with the percentages of its thresholds” to speed up the processing of requests. The proportion of economic immigrants represents 64% of the total in 2023. And the family reunification category, 20%.

“The government could ensure that the economic component is reduced to increase, for example, the family reunification component,” he said. We have been emphasizing the economic aspect for years. Perhaps we have reached a point where we should give greater importance to family reunification. »