From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Today, Immigration Minister Marco E. L. Mendicino announced measures to expedite the processing of spousal applications, enabling families to unite and thrive in Canada more quickly.<\/p>\n Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department (IRCC) has bolstered its team by 66% to hasten the processing of these applications and decrease waiting times for couples.<\/p>\n IRCC is pioneering technology to digitize paper applications, facilitating faster processing by remote-working staff. This includes piloting remote interviews to meet safety protocols.<\/p>\n IRCC is set to finalize around 6,000 spousal applications each month from October to December 2020. By the year’s end, approximately 49,000 decisions will be made.<\/p>\n The pandemic has added uncertainty for sponsors of spouses seeking permanent residency. IRCC remains committed to innovative solutions that prioritize family reunification while safeguarding public health.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand that the last few months have not been easy for those who are far from their loved ones in these difficult times. This is why we are accelerating the approval of spousal applications as much as possible. Our government will continue to find new ways to keep families together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Contacts for media only<\/strong><\/p>\n Mathieu Genest<\/strong> Media Relations<\/strong> The IRCC has increased decision-makers by 66% and is using new technology to digitize applications and facilitate remote interviews.<\/p>\n IRCC plans to make around 49,000 decisions by the end of 2020, processing approximately 6,000 applications monthly from October to December.<\/p>\n The pandemic has delayed application processing, adding uncertainty for sponsors and applicants awaiting permanent residency decisions.<\/p>\n You can read the notice<\/a> about the new temporary policy for biometrics.<\/p>\n Media can reach out to Mathieu Genest at the Minister\u2019s Office or the Media Relations team at IRCC for more details.<\/p>\n For further guidance, Read our immigration guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, is announcing action to speed up spousal application processing and help families build their lives together in Canada. … <\/i>Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Announcement of Expedited Spousal Applications<\/h2>\n
Technology and Innovation in Application Processing<\/h2>\n
Minister’s Commitment to Families<\/h3>\n
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Related Information and Contacts<\/h2>\n
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Media Contacts<\/h3>\n
Minister\u2019s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-954-1064<\/p>\n
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca<\/a><\/p>\nFAQs on Spousal Application Processing<\/h2>\n
How is the IRCC speeding up spousal application processing?<\/h3>\n
What are the expected results of these new measures?<\/h3>\n
What challenges has COVID-19 presented for spousal sponsorship?<\/h3>\n
Where can I find more information on biometrics for permanent residents?<\/h3>\n
Who can media contact for further information?<\/h3>\n