Beware campaign promises: how immigration policy makers are constrained in what they can do | Canadian Immigrant
2015/09/19 1 Comment
Steven Meurrens on evaluating immigration-related campaign promises:
During this election campaign, when Canada’s political parties make commitments to introduce new immigration programs, reduce processing times, admit as many privately sponsored refugees as possible, remove restrictions on the number of Canadians who can sponsor their parents, or even to allow every Canadian to sponsor a family member from overseas, a discerning voter must analyze how that party plans to manage the program within the above-mentioned limitations. Even if you’re not yet a citizen and can’t vote, you have the right to ask questions and be part of the dialogue.
For example, if a political party promises to expand the family class so that every Canadian citizen and/or permanent resident can sponsor a relative, then a discerning voter — before getting too excited — must ask which element of the impossible trinity will be missing? Is that party committing to a massive, uncontrolled increase in Canada’s population? If not, then will the new program have very slow processing times or a limit on the number of Canadians who can actually sponsor their relative through caps, lotteries or an expression of interest system? If it does, then how many people will actually benefit from the program?
If the political party tries to dodge the issue or pretend that it does not exist, then you will know that it is either hiding the devil in the details, or simply making pandering commitments without having thought the issue through.
My goal in writing the above is to help make sure that you don’t fall for it.
About Andrew
Multicultural Meanderings 
I am skeptical, as well, about the ability of our federal Citizenship and Immigration to handle the large numbers of possible arrivals in Canada.
In August, I sent in an application in hopes of possible restoration of my citizenship (although I am a “second gen”).under the most recent legislation. In the course of completing the required forms, I needed clarification to answer a couple of questions which I thought would have been simple answers for staff with experience in these applications. After a lengthy attempt to reach someone, I was told they could not answer any questions other than those included in the “Help” section of sample questions: mine were not on that list. The person told me he would send me an email list of “settlement” offices in Ontario where I could try to find help(none in this rural area).. As well, the Service Canada office here in Simcoe which used to have very helpful, knowledgeable staff, now seems to have few staff and none available to talk to: I was directed to a phone and computer which I used to make the call to CIC.
It was my impression that there are no longer sufficient staff to provide services for various applications to CIC now, so I wonder how they could be expected to process large numbers of new refugees and immigrants, no matter how badly they needed to come.