Action of protest against Canadian immigration policy
TORONTO, CANADA, March 10, 2005 – A group representing thousands of immigrants from all over the world who have been trying to reunion with their parents for many years will be marching in from of Canadian Ministry of Immigration on March 11 at 11 am. in Toronto.
“Federal Government of Canada – country of immigrants build by immigrants, breaches its own promise to be ‘the country where families reunion’ ” said Eugenia Yakhnin, leader of public group “Sponsor Your Parents” that organizes the march. “It was very important concern for any individual considering immigration to Canada to be able to invite his or her parents after settling in new country. For most of us it was the belief that finally brought us into Canada. If we had any doubts about ability of Canadian government to fulfill their promise we would never left our elderly parents alone in our counties”.
Official site of Ministry of Immigration says that Parents quotes have been declining from 20,000 in 2002 to about 5,000 in 2005. But what makes the situation worse and almost critical for all aviating ministry decision is the Case Processing Centre completely stopped processing of applications arrived after June 24, 2003.
Such limits nay delay issuing parents visas from up to 5 years in Russia and to 18 years in China.
“Our parents are getting older and less healthy each day” says … “ and this long waiting time greatly reduces their chances to pass medical examination required by Canadian immigration law. If they wont continue processing and clean applications backlog many elderly people can even die without support from their children”.
The group believes that this government decision is based on false impression that immigrants’ parents adds a burden on Canadian public medical system, social and pension programs.
“This is not true” says Svetlana Berger who has been waiting for a ministry decision for more that 1 ½ years “when my mom come here I will be able to start working leaving my kids with her. My commitment to support my mom, the taxes I and my husband pay, and this new Ontario Healthy Premium tax will overpass all government medical expenses and provide other Canadian pensioners“.
Group leaders also say that this is a Canada’s moral obligation to allow parent to come to their children. Those parents made a greatest investment in this country by raising their children, giving them education, skills and personal qualities that those immigrated children now putting into Canada’s economy, culture and society.
Without immigrant’s parents it would be no such great country.
Sponsor Your Parents is a Canada wide public group that fights increase quotas for parental sponsorship admissions and reduce processing time of sponsorship applications.
Contact:
Eugenia Yakhnin,
Email: [email protected]
http://www.sponsoryourparents.ca
