Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to speak before this committee. I am here to speak about the importance of family reunification, especially with sponsoring parents and grandparents.
My family and I immigrated to Canada about seven years ago, and we have been residing in Ontario since then. My wife and I have been working full-time jobs, looking after our kids, and doing our duties as citizens, as well as paying our taxes on time.
Being a Canadian does not change the fact that I am an Indian by origin, and I pass our traditions and culture to our kids. My parents have been visiting me every year for the last five years. They have been a great help to our family by helping us with our household chores and taking care of our children, and at the same time it's a relief for us that they are closer to us. We do not have to worry about them and their health and well-being, as we would if they were far away.
Being Indian, we have a tradition to take care of our parents when they are in their old age. We want to continue and pass on this tradition to the new generation with my kids.
At the moment, the obstacle we are facing to keep our parents here on a long-term basis is the current process of immigration. Our family, like many other families in Canada, cannot meet the minimum annual income requirements set by immigration. Our parents being here with us in Canada helps us to bind together and care for each other. My kids get the love, care, and attention of grandparents.
If there was some leniency or flexibility in the low-income cut-off for sponsorship, then this would definitely be beneficial. The low-income cut-off differs every year, I guess due to inflation, but the government or immigration should also understand that not all employers, especially in the private sector, consider the same rate of inflation when reviewing for appraisals. The current process requires applications to be submitted as soon as the application period opens up, but it closes within a couple of hours of opening when the cap is completed.
Would there be a possibility to have separate application periods for individual applicants, as well as organization applicants through an immigration lawyer? Not all individuals, such as myself, are able to afford the services of immigration lawyers or agents.
Moreover, the processing time for family sponsorship should be shortened for families to reunite sooner.
The option currently provided by immigration to keep parents or grandparents on a long-term basis in Canada is a super visa, which definitely is a plus, but the requirements of getting medical insurance locally is not affordable. If the super visa process allowed people to get the medical insurance from respective home countries, with certain minimum requirements, this could definitely boost the number of super visa applicants.
With parents being here with the family, we are able to give the best possible child care any parent would want for their children, with the advantages of children being able to learn about our culture, religion, and language, and avoiding the huge amounts that we are paying to day care institutions.
My wife and I are here today because of the peace of mind we have knowing that our parents are looking after our kids back home.
Furthermore, with parents being here as permanent residents, they will be able to contribute to the community by volunteering, as well. They will be able to impart their employment experience to the new entrepreneurs and help them succeed.
In our case, our parents are in very good health and excellent condition, with no instances in the last five years where we used the medical system, since they always come in with insurance when they travel.
I would request that, if possible, changes be made to the policy with lenient income requirements for many families like ours to sponsor their parents or grandparents, who can can then contribute to the family, as well as to the community and the country.