Indians to benefit from Canada's family reunification programme
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Jul, 2021 04:31 PM
A record number of 40,000 immigrant families will be allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents to bring them to Canada in 2021.
This means 30,000 additional applications will be accepted as against the annual intake of 10,000 under the Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP), which is aimed at family reunification.
Since Indo-Canadians are one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, they will be the major beneficiaries of the programme.
Applications can be submitted online over a two-week period, starting September 20.
Using the random selection process, those whose applications are accepted would be allowed to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.
Since the sponsors have to show a certain minimum income requirement, the Canadian government has allowed them to include state benefits received during the Covid lockdown towards their income. This will ensure that applicants are not penalised for lost income during the pandemic.
Unveiling the programme, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco E.L. Mendicino said, "The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic. That is why we are delivering on our commitment to help more families reunite in Canada.
"By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Programme, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together."
The RCMP say a resident reported finding the squirrels in South Arm Community Park and fire crews identified the substance as 1-Octanethiol, a compound used in the production of other chemicals that can be dangerous if it's not handled correctly.
As provinces accelerate their efforts to get their populations fully vaccinated against COVID-19, some people are calling for the federal government to issue clear guidance on what people can do once they receive both shots.
A new study in England suggests the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines are extremely good at keeping people from ending up in the hospital with COVID-19, even after just one dose.
A former Conservative cabinet minister is apologizing for not pushing against his party's culturally divisive polices of the Stephen Harper era, including an effort to ban face coverings during citizenship ceremonies.
Canada's prime minister used his time at a summit of political and military allies underlining the need to present a united front against Russia, China and the general threat of authoritarianism.
Canada has contracts to buy more than 251 million doses of seven different vaccines from vaccine makers, more than three times what it needs to fully immunize every Canadian.
