Mr. Speaker, in my speech I mentioned how immigration offices differ in the amount of time they take to process applications in this class. Administrative memos OP0248 and IP0211 of July 2002 reiterate the government's commitment to process 80% of sponsorship applications within six months. The government is not meeting this commitment.
In 2003, the immigration minister announced improvements in the form of a new kit for spouses that made it possible to consider the results of medical exams with the sponsorship application. A number of announcements have been made as well since the Conservatives took office. Yet the statistics show that two of the busiest offices, where we know false documents have been submitted and information is unreliable, are able to process spousal applications within three to four months. This is an example of the disparity among the immigration offices, and it concerns me. Most offices that issue visas do not seem to be meeting the six-month standard.