It's not happening often. There's a level of lack of knowledge, in the communities that sponsor most of these parents, of such avenues.
When I raise the issue with clients, they're often surprised to discover there is even such a concept available to them. It's underutilized. When I do discuss it with clients, more often than not they regard it as a very attractive alternative. For many of the families, they have a cultural aspect of living in extended families, and their parents often still want to maintain some kind of presence in the home country or be able to visit there again.
At the same time, the ten-year multiple-entry visa is going to allow our medical system some benefit. These visitors will then be obtaining private insurance for their visits. The potential concern about the stress and strain on Canada's social structure will no longer be as acute. So it's a very good alternative, one that my clients, once they're made aware of it, are very much in favour of. Of course, my clients, being Canadians, are very much aware of the impact their relatives', their parents', or grandparents' arrival in Canada may ultimately have on the Canadian health care system.
It's also important to note that these people undergo rigorous medical examination, and we have seen in the courts a lower and lower threshold in terms of what constitutes medical inadmissibility. So when these people arrive in Canada, they're not arriving with illnesses. They're not arriving with pre-existing conditions. They're healthy. That's an important factor to note.
But I do think this would be a very attractive alternative that provides a number of benefits and allows the social structure to maintain itself while allowing some family reunification on a regular basis.