Canadian-Haitian Community

 

 

As most of you know, Citizenship and Immigration (better known as CIC) has implemented special immigration measures to sponsor members of your immediate family who have been directly and seriously affected by the crisis in Haiti.

 

We would like to provide information about the measures that Canadian Citizens and Permanent Resident holders can take to assist their family members to immigrate to Canada. 

 

Priority processing is available to those who are Canadian Citizens and to those who hold
Permanent Resident status, who have close family members in Haiti who have been directly affected by this crisis.

 

We are going to break down each category for you.

 

For existing applications for sponsorship and/or Permanent Residence - priority processing is being given.

 

·        You should notify the Call Centre (1.888.242.2100) about your application.  The Call Centre available from 5 am to 5 pm (Alberta time), Monday through Friday.  This weekend the Call Centre is also open and is open today until 5 pm.  The Call Centre is receiving an average of 37,000 calls per day.  So please be patient or alternately you may email them (question-Haiti@cic.gc.ca)

 

·        When calling or emailing the Call Centre please make sure you include your file # or client ID #, your relative's full name and date of birth and include how your family member has been affected by the crisis.  It is extremely important that you include this information.

 

 

·        Please do not forget to include your own contact information such as your telephone number, your mailing and/or email address etc.

 

·        The information that you provide will then be forwarded to the appropriate Case Processing Centre or local CIC office which will then retrieve the application and start priority processing.

 

·        Please note that the Canadian Embassy in Port au Prince was damaged and officials are making arrangements to resume services on a limited basis (Permanent Residency applications only).  Currently Permanent Residency applications are being processed electronically in Santo Domingo.   Officials are also trying to open another office in the Port
au Prince area.

 

FOR NEW SPONSORSHIP APPLICATIONS MADE BY Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residency Holders:

 

Priority Processing is given to those who make application in the Family Class:

 

·        Family Class includes the following:
- spouse, common-law or conjugal partner
- dependent child, including a child adopted abroad
- a child under 18 years old to be adopted in Canada
- parent or grandparent
- orphaned child under 18 years old who is a brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild.

 

·        Send your sponsorship application (which is available on line at cic.gc.ca) to Mississauga.  The application should be sent by express mail and the envelope should have "HAITI" written in big bold letters on the envelope.  I suggest you use a red marker as the color red stands out and that you also take a photocopy of your application before mailing it.

 

·        Below are different forms that you may need.  Please see with website www.cic.gc.ca for additional information.

 

·        Application to sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner; or a dependent child (Please read the guide): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp

·        Application to sponsor parents, grandparents, adopted child, other family members (see detailed definitions on the website) (Please read the guide):  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/family.asp

·        Financial evaluation for sponsor (Please read the instructions):  http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fineval.asp]

 

·        As few things you should know:

 

·        Fees for Sponsorship applications have NOT been waived.

 

·        Applications will still need to meet admissibility requirements and therefore background checks will still be required.

 

·        As part of the special measures, NO medical examinations are being done in Haiti.  Individuals arriving from Haiti will receive medical examination instructions when they arrive at a Port of Entry.  Medicals are to be completed within 2 weeks of arriving.

 

·        If someone is found to have a condition that may pose a danger to the public health they will be referred for immediate treatment.

 

·        Under these special measures, applicants will be provided health care coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program.  This program covers the cost of urgent and essential medical services including doctor care, hospital care, certain medications, certain dental procedures, the cost of immigration medical examination as well as various other health services.

 

·        I also want to mention that you do not need to hire an immigration consultant to help you complete the necessary forms.  Having an immigration consultant will not speed up the process nor will it guarantee that your application will be approved.  The Government is very concerned that members of the Canadian Haitian community are being misled by dishonest paid immigration consultants who claim they can speed up the arrival of your loves ones from Haiti.  Let me repeat, no immigration consultant can speed up the process and we would ask you to be very careful if you choose to retain the services of an immigration consultant.

 

·        The next category is people from Haiti who are currently in Canada on a Temporary Resident Visa (a visitor visa).  You may make application to extend your stay and the fees for extending your visa are being waived.

 

·        Fees for work permits and study permits are also being waived as well as work permits will be exempt from the need for a Labour Market Opinion from Service Canada.

 

·        Form to extend your stay in Canada (Please read the guide): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/extend-permit.asp

 

·        We have had numerous enquires about whether or not people in Haiti should seek to get a visitor visa in order to get out of Haiti faster rather than wait for the immigration
process to be completed.  This is not necessarily true.

 

·        The priority special measures apply to new and existing sponsorship applications from Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents who have close family members in Haiti. 

 

·        Priority will also be given to the processing of Haitian family members of protected persons applying for Permanent Residence in Canada.

 

·        The Priority measures do not apply to temporary resident visa applications from persons in Haiti.

 

·        Any individual in Haiti who applies for a temporary resident visa must show they are admissible to Canada as per the normal process.

 

·        Applicants in Haiti should send their applications to the Embassy of Canada in Santo Domingo, Dominion Republic.

 

·        Form for a Temporary Resident Visa (Please read the guide): http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/visa.asp

 

 

 Information on Refugee Status

·         When someone applies for Refugee status, they see a judge (2+ years) later.

·         If they are approved as a refugee they have 183 days to apply for Permanent Residence.

·         If they applied for Refugee status and were refused, they can apply for H & C (Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds) this application is for persons in Canada who would suffer excessive hardship if they had to return to their home country to apply for permanent residence in Canada as required by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Cost and inconvenience are not considered excessive hardship. 
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/handc.asp (English)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/information/demandes/humanitaires.asp (French)