this family day, nls celebrates launch of family reunification knowledge hub

Family Day was celebrated earlier this week in Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, and last week in British Columbia. On the occasion of celebrating time spent with family, we urge you to keep in mind our friends and neighbours who long to be reunited with theirs.

Neighbourhood Legal Services sees a big demand for legal services from families separated from their loved ones. Many parents needlessly miss out on precious years with their children because of processing delays at Canadian visa offices overseas, or lack of understanding about complicated immigration rules. This demand led us to develop better resources to help community agencies and individuals navigate this process. We believe our community is healthier when newcomers are able to reunite with their spouses and children. It fosters better mental health and resilience in the face of integrating into a new society. We believe we all benefit from families being reunited.

With funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario, NLS developed www.FamilyReunification.ca, an on-line information hub for those seeking to bring loved ones to Canada. The site provides general information and trouble-shooting tips for family class sponsorships, and special family reunification programs for refugees and Live-in Caregivers. It encompasses the many changes to these programs that the government has implemented over the past few years. While it is not meant to replace legal advice on any specific case, we hope that it can be a useful tool for those seeking an overview of the process.

For more information about how Canada could realize a key objective of our immigration law – reuniting families – use and share the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Focus on refugee and newcomer families and use #MyCanada on social media to stand up for families near you.  ​