Petition: Justice and Timely Processing for Delayed Immigration Applications under the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

To:

The Honourable Rachel Bendayan, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Members of Parliament

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration

We, the undersigned, are writing to bring urgent attention to the case of an elderly father from India whose immigration application to reunite with his daughter in Canada has been unfairly delayed by the IRCC for more than six years.

Background:

Navneet Sohal, a law-abiding and contributing Canadian citizen, was fortunate to be selected under Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP). She submitted a complete sponsorship application for her father on May 8, 2018, the official “lock-in” date acknowledged by IRCC.

Despite full cooperation, extensive documentation, and years of waiting, IRCC has yet to finalize the application, leaving Navneet’s father in prolonged uncertainty. He is a respected member of the Punjab Police in India, now retired, and has never had any criminal history, political entanglements, or security concerns.

The excessive delay has caused emotional and psychological hardship for both father and daughter, who have been separated for far too long despite meeting every eligibility requirement for reunification.

Concerns:

 • Political Tensions and Discrimination: Amid rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, there appears to be a pattern of heightened scrutiny, prolonged security checks, and systemic delays for applications from India, particularly for elderly applicants.

 • Judicial Review Denied: A Mandamus application (Federal Court Docket IMM-17149-24) was filed to compel IRCC to act. Yet, on March 21, 2025, the Federal Court dismissed the case, effectively upholding IRCC’s inaction without offering a timeline or remedy.

 • Unreasonable Delay: Over six years and six months have passed without resolution. Such a delay violates not only the principles of administrative fairness but also the fundamental rights to family reunification and dignified aging.

 • Health and Age Concerns: The elderly father faces health issues and uncertainty, far from the care and support of his only daughter in Canada. Time is not a luxury for him.

Our Demands:

We respectfully request that the Minister of Immigration and IRCC:

 1. Immediately review and prioritize this long-delayed application under compassionate and humanitarian grounds.

 2. Implement stricter timelines and accountability mechanisms for PGP applications, particularly for elderly applicants.

 3. Ensure transparency and fairness in the application of security checks, regardless of country of origin.

 4. Publicly address how diplomatic tensions are (or are not) influencing application processing from India.

Conclusion:

Canada prides itself on being a champion of family values, human rights, and multicultural inclusion. Inaction and systemic delay are not just bureaucratic oversights — they are injustices that break families apart.

We urge your office to act decisively in this case and to set a precedent for others suffering similar fates in silence.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Optional: Your Address / Contact Info]

[On Behalf of Navneet Sohal and her Father]

[Optional: Signature Line for Petition Signatories]