News Release — Increasing number of families reunited in 2012

Ottawa, May 7, 2013 — In 2012, there was a 15 percent increase in immigration under the family class, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“The actions taken by the government are helping more families reunite,” said Minister Kenney. “We have created additional avenues and flexibility, so that an increasing number of families can spend more time with each other.”

In 2012, Canada admitted 65,000 permanent residents in the family class, an increase of 15 percent since 2011. This includes a 60 percent increase in the number of parents and grandparents admitted to Canada, the highest level in 20 years.

These numbers do not include family members that immigrate to Canada under other immigration streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker and Provincial Nominee programs.

“The Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification has been a success,” said Minister Kenney. “By reducing the backlog through increased admissions, we have dramatically reduced wait times so that parents and grandparents no longer have to wait close to a decade to be reunited with their loved ones.”

By the end of 2013, the parents and grandparents backlog will have been reduced by about 50 percent with wait times cut in half. Without the Action Plan, the backlog was projected to surpass 250,000 with a 15-year wait time by 2015.

The very popular Super Visa has provided flexibility for parents and grandparents who do not want to immigrate permanently but want to be reunited with their families quickly and spend an extended amount of time with them. An average of over 1,000 Super Visas have been issued each month and the approval rate is very high at nearly 90 percent.

Since 2006, Canada has welcomed the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history.

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Photos of Minister Kenney are available.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.