Family Reunification? A Critical Analysis of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s 2013 Reforms to the Family Class

In 2011, the beginning of significant reform to Canada’s Family Class for immigration took place with the freezing of applications for parent and grandparent sponsorship. In May 2013, a package of reforms was proposed to the Family Class to bolster substantial change to implement more stringent conditions for sponsorship of parents, grandparents, and dependent children under the Family Class. In response, a coalition of civic stakeholders in Ontario mobilized to lobby Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to oppose the implementation of these changes through the “My Canada Includes All Families” campaign. I analyze the package of reforms and explore the implications these reforms have upon the value of the family unit in Canada. This paper aims to support the “My Canada Includes All Families” campaign by presenting practical research to illustrate the social capital benefits that parents, grandparents, and family reunification has for the Canadian social fabric.