Immigration department will waive some eligibility requirements for visitor visas, sources say
The federal government is considering extraordinary measures to reduce its backlog of immigration applications, including waiving eligibility requirements for nearly half a million visitor visas, according to a policy memo reviewed by The Globe and Mail.
Under the second option, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser would waive certain eligibility requirements for roughly 450,000 applications. Because other efforts are under way to reduce the TRV backlog, this decision would apply to all remaining applications. As a result of the change, one of the sources said, immigration officers would not assess whether visitors have sufficient funds for their stays in Canada.
The memo raised the possibility of keeping these measures a secret, saying that neither would need to be communicated to the public. Prospective visitors and immigrants have been extremely frustrated by the processing delays. This has led to reputational damage for IRCC andagainst it. Some PR applicants have waited years for a decision, for example, while others are nearing the end of their work permits, but have yet to hear whether they can stay in the country and continue their employment.
Mr. Fraser could use his authority under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to waive eligibility requirements. This was recently done to expedite processing of visas for attendees of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal.
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