Written by: Abirami Raj
By now you all probably heard of the 70-year old Tamil grandma who was deported after a failed claim. I usually don’t write but after reading the article, I could not, not write.
For those of who haven’t heard, you can read the story here. Gunapoosany Kandasamy applied for refugee status here, and was denied. The family filed a refugee claim instead of a sponsorship application for the grandma, and after having it denied, she was sent back. Now, I acknowledge the family made a mistake here, and should have filed a sponsorship application. However, does it make sense to send a 70-year back to place where she has no support or relatives who can care for her?
Plus, the family reunification process in Canada has become a lucky of the draw. Canada last year stopped taking new applications for parents or grandparents since November 2011 in order to handle the backlog of files they have. In fact, it’s the 2008 sponsorship applications are being processed now. Also, fewer refugees, nannies and humanitarian applications will be accepted as a result.
The Government placed a pricey alternative in place, for those who wanted to bring their parents or grandparents on a temporary basis they could apply for a, “Supervisa.” With the Supervisa, parents or grandparents could temporarily stay for maximum of 2 years at a time (to a maximum of 10 years in total), while a regular sponsorship application was in place (if you applied before November 2011). Now, although the Supervisa sounds great, it is unaffordable for many. In order to qualify, you must meet certain income thresholds, buy expensive private medical insurance for your parents, and be accepted. 23% of the applications are refused, even when the criteria is met.
Reunification of family should be accessible for all, not just those who meet certain income guidelines, can afford to pay the medical insurance and tickets. Those who can afford such a visa are not lower-class family or middle class families. This creates a two-tiered system of entry to Canada for parents and grandparents, one in where those who can afford it, can be reunified with their families.
I do believe that an intervention should have been made, and a humanitarian admittance should have been granted to this 70-year grandmother who is being sent back without no one to care for her now.
A parent is a parent nonetheless, and I personally believe more efforts should be underway to handle the backlog of sponsorship applications in a more efficient manner. People find themselves in all kinds of situations in their lives, and during difficult times, having a parent there can make all the difference. Cutting or freezing the regular visa applications, and years of wait times, is just unacceptable, and does not really meet the whole idea of reunification. Are we only going to welcome to Canada the parents and grandparents of the affluent?
In the guise of new efficiencies and addressing backlog, have we lost our compassion? What do you think? Do you agree with the decision to send the grandmother back, or do you think a humanitarian admittance should have been granted?
Tags: Speak Out
