Decades ago, my father, a refugee from Indonesia and living in the Netherlands, decided to immigrate to Canada.  He was able to do so, as he had the sponsorship of his siblings who had moved to Canada about five years previous.  In that program, they were fully responsible for him for a period of ten years.  Of course, once here he started working almost immediately, became fluent in English and went on to become an Electrical Engineer.  He volunteered for anti-poverty initiatives, and assists senior citizens manage their daily lives.

Fast forward to 2023, and someone in my father's shoes, with siblings in Canada, has no direct meants to immigrate here.  Worse, if we wish to sponsor parents/grandparents to come here, Permanent Residents and Citizens alike are reliant on a lottery system.  Often, PRs who have only been here a few years are able to sponsor their parents before PR's/Citizens who have been here for decades.  Finally, if a permanent resident immigrates to Canada but was unable to get medicals for his or her non-accompanying minor children - they can never sponsor that child under the family class in the future.

Canada needs to take family reunification seriously, and needs to reform the system to create processes that are both fair and transparent.  We know that Canada needs skilled workers and good citizens to fill labour gaps and enhance Canadian society.  What better endorsement of character, what better circumstance for an immigrant, than to have family in Canada willing to take on the financial and social responsiblity of helping them adjust to Canadian life?

What is preferable; an educated, skilled and experienced immigrant with family support in Canada or someone brought here temporarily for the sole purpose of filling a gap in the Canadian labour market?

The Canadian Immigration System needs reform and it needs to make family reunification a priority.  We call upon the Canadian Government and IRCC to do the following:

a)  Create a pathway for direct sponsorship of siblings by Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada.

b)  Only require medicals of non-accompanying minor children at the time they are sponsored to migrate to Canada.

c)  Do away with the lottery system for sponsorships of parents/grandparents, instead prioritizing applications by date of submission and by the sponsor's length of time living in Canada, leaving other criteria for eligibility intact.

If you believe these change would create a better immigration system, please sign this petition.