M-228 Immigration

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should:

(a) strengthen Canada’s immigration system by investing the necessary resources in settlement and community services, and making the necessary reforms to address continuing delays and backlogs;

(b) seek ways to address the frequent denial of Temporary Resident Visas (TRV) to family members of Canadians, while ensuring Canadians can have confidence that TRV holders do not violate the terms of their visa;

(c) undertake a comprehensive review of the TRV application process, including (i) the decision-making process, including the training for Canadian visa officers, (ii) processing times, (iii) document requirements, (iv) recourse mechanisms and recommend ways to make the TRV process more efficient, transparent and accountable to increase the economic and social benefits of visitors for Canada;

(d) take reasonable steps within the framework of Canada’s international commitments to deter asylum claims by those who are already living in safe countries, and to ensure that asylum claims are processed rapidly so that asylum claimants do not remain in a state of vulnerability and that Canadians can have confidence that the most vulnerable are being assisted;

(e) use "public policy" provisions more frequently in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow highly vulnerable minorities (such as Hindus and Sikhs in Afghanistan) to be sponsored directly from their country of origin by private organizations in Canada; and

(f) recognize that all political parties in Canada support immigration, and therefore work across party lines to strengthen the system and ensure that it is open, efficient, and fair.