Latest news with #permanentResidency
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Thousands of Canadians are set to receive family sponsorship invitations. What's your experience with the program?
The Parents and Grandparents Program allows Canadians to apply to sponsor family members for permanent residency. (Pexels) The federal government will begin sending invitations for sponsoring parents and grandparents for permanent residency starting July 28, but some are calling for a 'fair' and 'transparent' family reunification process. A website was set up asking people with concerns about the Parents and Grandparents Program to urge the government to re-open the interest-to-sponsor form. A person with the handle 'A Dissapointed (sic) Canadian' wrote in a post Friday that a petition was submitted to the House of Commons, but it requires an MP to authorize it before it goes live. The petition comes as the 2025 intake is set to open soon for 17,860 potential sponsors who submitted an interest-to-sponsor form in 2020, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, IRCC said it won't be opening a new interest-to-sponsor form and will only send invitations to apply to potential sponsors from the 2020 pool of submissions. reached out to the email listed on the website for more information about who is behind the petition and website, but didn't immediately hear back. According to information posted on the website with the petition, the program is not 'fair and transparent.' 'For the fifth year in a row, IRCC will choose applicants from the same outdated pool created in 2020, shutting out thousands of Canadians who've become eligible since then,' according to information in the FAQ of the website. wants to hear from individuals in Canada about their experience with the Parents and Grandparents Program. Did you encounter difficulty sponsoring your parents or grandparents? If so, how long have you been waiting? Have you heard back from the government? Do you have any concerns about the federal program and any ideas on how it can be improved? How did your experience with the program affect your family? Did the process take an emotional toll? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Trying to sponsor your parents or grandparents to live in Canada? We want to hear from you
The Parents and Grandparents Program allows Canadians to apply to sponsor family members for permanent residency. (Pexels) The federal government will begin sending invitations for sponsoring parents and grandparents for permanent residency starting July 28, but some are calling for a 'fair' and 'transparent' family reunification process. A website was set up asking people with concerns about the Parents and Grandparents Program to urge the government to re-open the interest-to-sponsor form. A person with the handle 'A Dissapointed (sic) Canadian' wrote in a post Friday that a petition was submitted to the House of Commons, but it requires an MP to authorize it before it goes live. The petition comes as the 2025 intake is set to open soon for 17,860 potential sponsors who submitted an interest-to-sponsor form in 2020, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, IRCC said it won't be opening a new interest-to-sponsor form and will only send invitations to apply to potential sponsors from the 2020 pool of submissions. reached out to the email listed on the website for more information about who is behind the petition and website, but didn't immediately hear back. According to information posted on the website with the petition, the program is not 'fair and transparent.' 'For the fifth year in a row, IRCC will choose applicants from the same outdated pool created in 2020, shutting out thousands of Canadians who've become eligible since then,' according to information in the FAQ of the website. wants to hear from individuals in Canada about their experience with the Parents and Grandparents Program. Did you encounter difficulty sponsoring your parents or grandparents? If so, how long have you been waiting? Have you heard back from the government? Do you have any concerns about the federal program and any ideas on how it can be improved? How did your experience with the program affect your family? Did the process take an emotional toll? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
Independent Singapore
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
17-year-old foreigner in Singapore opens up about repeated PR rejections: ‘This is my only home'
SINGAPORE: A 17-year-old student from Myanmar has opened up on social media about his growing frustration and anxiety over being repeatedly rejected for permanent residency (PR) in Singapore. In a post on the r/sgexams subreddit, he shared that he's lived in Singapore since he was three and has pretty much grown up like any other local teen. He speaks fluent Singlish, actively volunteers, takes part in school competitions, and feels deeply connected to the country and its culture. He added that both his parents are already permanent residents, and his mother has submitted multiple applications for his PR over the years. Unfortunately, every single one has been rejected without any clear explanation. He also expressed frustration at the common advice people tend to give him when they hear about his situation. 'When I tell my other friends about my problem, or like my mom tells her friends, they always say just serve NS lah, then become PR. Hellooooo, I am not PR. Foreigners cannot serve NS. I am so sick of hearing that same advice,' he said. 'Of course, I want to serve NS. My best friends are also serving, and Singapore is my only home. IT IS ALL I KNOW. I would be happy to join this brotherhood; 2 years is nothing for staying here with my loved ones. I have no connections to Myanmar at all. I am just, like, kind of mad at the system, I guess.' He also opened up about how, even though he's part Chinese and doesn't look too different from his peers, he still hears remarks that sting. Aunties and uncles at bus stops still ask him where he's from. And when his classmates complain about foreigners 'stealing jobs,' they suddenly get awkward when they remember he's technically one too. 'I mean, I get what they mean, but I am still hurt. Because no matter how much I believe that I have fully integrated, people don't care. They only care about the colour of your IC and the colour of your passport. The only thing that matters is the start and end of your NRIC.' He then admitted to feeling scared about the future, especially the possibility of drifting apart from his closest friends during the next two years. He said, 'I am scared that my best friends and I will grow distant over these 2 years. I love them so much. I know that sounds so gay. But I really do love them and they love me. I don't want to be separated for, like, a whole 2 years.' He ended his post with a heartfelt plea for support, asking others to offer advice and to pray for him. 'Do more volunteer work to add to your profile.' In the discussion thread, one Singaporean Redditor suggested, 'You should apply yourself as a student pass holder. You have a high chance of getting in since you did really well for O levels. I have heard stories of people who applied themselves and got PR in JC. If I remember correctly, they don't even have a home here. Also yes, they are not Chinese.' Another cheered him up, saying, 'It is tough growing up as a third culture kid. The challenge of identity and acceptance continues to be something you have to face. Sincerely wishing you the best and rooting for the day you become a citizen now.' A third advised, 'Do more volunteer work to add to your profile. E.g., a few years of weekly volunteering at an elderly home or helping kids with tuition or distribution of food, etc. Your contribution to SG will help to increase your chances.' In other news, netizens were shocked when a foreigner shared on social media that he spends around S$200-250 on a single date with his Singaporean girlfriend. Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Saturday (March 8), the foreigner explained that their bill easily reaches S$150 whenever they go out for a meal in a 'not very atas' restaurant like Xiang Xiang, Sushiro, or BBQ Box. Read more: Foreigner spending S$200-250 on each date with Singaporean girlfriend shocks netizens Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
CTV News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Deportation fear to citizenship: Winnipeg family's journey comes full circle
CTV's Harrison Shin has the story of a family in Manitoba and their journey to becoming Canadian citizens. CTV's Harrison Shin has the story of a family in Manitoba and their journey to becoming Canadian citizens. A Winnipeg family once facing deportation is now preparing to officially become Canadian citizens. Six years ago, Luiz Antonio Rodrigues Bonito and his family were on the verge of being forced out of Canada. But today, they're celebrating a major milestone. All three members of the household—Luiz, his daughter Ana Sofia Rodrigues Suarez, and his wife—will be sworn in as citizens on Canada Day. 'I'm very, very happy,' said Bonito. 'All of my dreams come true.' Bonito, born in Brazil with Portuguese citizenship, grew up in Venezuela, where his family ran a successful business. Due to the escalating violence and political instability, they decided to flee for safety. Bonito applied for refugee status—but his claim was denied. The Canadian government told him he could safely return to Portugal, despite Bonito never having lived there. 'I know that when I get to Portugal, we'll be in trouble,' he told CTV News. Back then, Bonito feared for his future. 'I cannot do it because I must leave. I am not legal here,' he said at the time. But just six months after speaking to CTV News in 2019, Bonito and his family were granted permanent residency. 'They gave me a temporary permit, and then about six months after they gave me my permanent residency—for me and my family—and everything went fine,' he said. For Ana, the journey was equally stressful. 'I always felt very stressed and overwhelmed by it. I was very scared of what was going to happen next,' she said. Now a recent high school graduate, she's grateful for the way things turned out. 'I'm just glad that everything worked out.' Bonito said the support of Winnipeggers made all the difference. 'They say Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world,' he said. 'They are wrong. It's the most hot and warm because of the people.'
Japan Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Calls to make naturalization more difficult emerge in parliament talks
Concerns over Japanese nationality being easier to obtain than permanent residency came up in parliament talks last month, raising the question of how to make naturalizing — a status that confers suffrage — more difficult. 'A lot more people are saying now that they'll go ahead and naturalize because getting the permit for permanent residency is difficult,' said Upper House lawmaker Hirofumi Yanagase, who urged the Justice Ministry to revise the criteria in parliament last month. Naturalization requires applicants to have lived in Japan for at least five consecutive years, half of the duration required for permanent residency. Background checks for tax insurance payments cover less — one year of records for naturalization and five years of records for permanent residency, resulting in more foreign nationals opting to apply to become Japanese citizens. There were more than 8,800 foreign nationals — mostly Chinese nationals (35%) and Koreans (25%) — who naturalized in 2024, out of some 12,000 applicants, according to the Justice Ministry's Civil Affairs Bureau. For permanent residency, more than 33,000 foreign nationals acquired the status in 2023 out of some 99,000 applicants, according to the Immigration Services Agency. Visa specialists, however, have noticed a change recently. At Haneda International Legal Firm, about 80% of foreign nationals have shifted from pursuing permanent residency to applying for naturalization, estimates founder Mari Matsumura, who assists expatriates with securing permanent residency and other permits, including working and spousal visas, and voices strong opposition to those living in the country illegally on social media. Matsumura said that foreign exchange students from developing countries — including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — tend to choose naturalizing rather than waiting to qualify for permanent residency. 'They say they'll just naturalize if it's easier to get. For them, changing passports is like changing houses,' Matsumura said. The problem, Yanagase said, is that five-year residents 'don't have a deep enough understanding of Japan' to vote and run in elections, adding that permanent residency should precede nationalization, as it does in other countries. The U.S. requires applicants to have been permanent residents for at least three years. For applicants who have been permanent residents for less than five years, however, they must be married to, and living with, a U.S. citizen. A building housing the Justice Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Yanagase asked the ministry last month to make the criteria for naturalization stricter. | JIJI In Germany and South Korea, naturalization applicants must have been permanent residents for five years. Australia requires applicants to have lived in the country for four years and have been permanent residents for 12 months. Yanagase also voiced fears about foreign influence on domestic politics through naturalization, referring to other countries' anxiety of China's growing influence. 'My guess is that the Communist Party of China will become influential by making its members (naturalize and) run as election candidates,' said Yanagase, who proposed restricting suffrage for the first-generation of naturalized citizens and making the naturalized status revocable in cases involving individuals who pose a threat to national security. Some countries do not grant full political rights to naturalized citizens. In Qatar, citizens who are categorized as 'naturalized' rather than 'native' are barred from voting and running for legislative office –– a 'discriminatory citizenship system,' according to Human Rights Watch. In Morocco, naturalized citizens are prohibited from voting for five years following their naturalization. In the U.S., naturalized citizens are eligible to vote and run for lower offices but cannot become the president or vice president. Yanagase believes there are few other lawmakers who care about naturalization being conversely easier as the issue has rarely been brought up in parliament. 'There's no merit to talking about it. It won't attract votes,' said Yanagase, adding that 'it'll only attract criticism that it's hate (speech).' A separation in oversight — with naturalization in Japan being handled by the Legal Affairs Bureau while permanent residency is overseen by the Immigration Services Agency — is believed to be behind naturalization being easier to obtain than permanent residency.
