I am one of hundreds of thousands of Canadians who came to Canada under the family class sponsorship program, a program that has been in place for decades and was, until recently, one of the cornerstones of Canadian immigration policy.
Over the last decade, however, the program has gradually been eroded, making it ever more difficult for Canadians to bring their loved ones to Canada. Most recently, the federal government announced even more draconian changes — increasing the minimum income to be eligible for sponsorship, doubling the sponsorship period and excluding children over the age of 19 — which, if passed, will make it almost impossible for many Canadians to sponsor their parents, grandparents and siblings. Had these laws been in place 30 years ago, my family might not have made it here.
I immigrated to Canada in 1982 with my parents and my older sister. We were sponsored by my eldest brother, who first came to Canada in the late 1960s to study.
I arrived in September, just two months after my 19th birthday. Fresh off the boat, I began to study at the University of Waterloo, which my sister had already been attending for two years as a foreign student.
My father, a retired businessman, brought his entire life savings to Canada to look after us financially, while my mother stayed home to help take care of our daily needs.
After finishing our undergraduate studies and thanks to my parents — as well as the Ontario Student Assistance Program — I was able to earn a law degree, while my sister obtained her master’s degree in social work.
Without my parents’ support, I would never have completed law school, let alone become a lawyer. I am forever grateful that they provided me and my sister with a home until we could earn enough to live independently.
In short, ours was a typical middle-class family where children well over the age of 19 still lived with their parents; indeed, 42.3 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 29 do exactly that.
Yet in the eyes of the current federal government, being 19 would have made me too old to be considered a dependant and therefore not eligible under the family class category. While I probably could have squeezed in, my sister, who was 21 at the time, would have been excluded outright.
It angers me that the government seems to believe that letting in parents and older children is not in Canada’s “economic” interest — as if family class immigrants are freeloaders whose sole purpose for coming here is to live off government handouts. What’s more, by justifying the change as an economic imperative, the government is saying that my parents’ worth — and mine — to this country should be measured only by the amount of tax we pay, and not by the other contributions we make, be it in the form of volunteer work in the community or enrichment of Canada’s cultural mosaic.
My parents are no longer with us. When my mother passed away last year, Toronto City Council unanimously adopted a message of condolence to recognize the “incredible contributions of a woman who lovingly raised a family of dynamic leaders in our city” and whose “legacy” is her family. How ironic.
Most important, it saddens me to see the once thriving family class program reduced to a shell of what it used to be. Worse, parents and grandparents have become the convenient scapegoats for the government’s failure to fully integrate immigrants so that they can all enjoy the economic opportunities this country has to offer.
Thirty years ago, family class immigrants made up the majority of all immigrants. Today, they account for less than 20 per cent of the total intake.
Had I not been admitted, there would not have been much of a loss to Canada — just one less loudmouth activist for politicians to contend with. My sister, on the other hand, would not have been here to make all the contributions she has in her field — for which she has received such awards as the YWCA Woman of Distinction.
I thought the current federal government was big on family values. Maybe they do welcome families — just not ones like mine.
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Avvy Yao-Yao Go
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