The 80 % of Backlog Linked with Spousal Sponsorship is Now cleared: An Announcement Made by the IRCC

During an announcement made by the IRCC, it was disclosed that the 80% of a total spousal sponsorship backlog has been cleared.

Ahmed Hussein, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has made this announcement recently while discussing a Valentine’s Day special update.

Hussein acknowledged the achievements of his department and said that the promise made in December 2016 on behalf of the government is a reality now. Hussein shared his thoughts in the following words.

“Just a year ago, in December 2016, there were almost 75,000 people in the spousal sponsorship backlog. As of today, more than 80 percent of those spouses in the backlog have received final decisions in their applications.”

For those applications, which are still under process, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada IRCC is trying its best to complete the procedure without any further delay. There are 15,000 remaining applications and possibilities are there that these will be disposed of within a couple of months.

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Besides, Ahmed Hussein has introduced some changes to the sponsorship guide and checklist with a view to streamline the procedure and minimize the actual processing time.

Changes Made to the Process of Spousal Sponsorship Application

The IRCC has revised the common-law partner or spouse sponsorship guide and checklist. The spousal sponsorship applicants are now bound to submit their police certificates and Schedule A – Background/Declaration (IMM 5669) form along with their paper application at initial stage. Previously, it was mandatory to provide these documents at the later stage of the application process.

The Liberal government of Canada has dealt with the issue of family reunification of immigrants on a priority basis. This is the reason, why Canadian government has introduced numerous policy changes.

The new spousal sponsorship application kit, which was introduced by the Federal Government in December 2016, will definitely simplify the process. Due to these change, the majority of spousal sponsorship applications may get a final decision within 12 months of their submission.