Cuts to Family Reunification Program

WHEREAS the Government of Canada has announced its intention to cut the number of immigrants admitted to Canada under the Family Reunification Program to 11,000 in 2011 from 16,000 last year; AND WHEREAS there are already more than 100,000 waiting on the list for approval, meaning their wait times could double from six years to nearly 13 years according to immigration experts; AND WHEREAS family reunification has been one of the most important goals of thousands of residents who have settled in our province; AND WHEREAS access to family reunification has been one of the commitments the Government of Canada has made to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have made their lives here in the expectation that ultimately they would be reunited in Canada with loved ones: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM appeal to the federal government through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to reverse this decision and maintain family reunification approvals at least at the current levels.