Lourdes Octaviano Tolentino’s eyes welled up with tears when she learned about Ottawa’s plan to change the definition of “dependent child” in immigration law.The live-in caregiver left her only son behind in the Philippines to look after other people’s children so she could give him a better life and eventually have him join her in Canada.
All her hard work will be futile, however, if the federal government goes ahead with its plan to narrow the definition of a dependent child to someone younger than 19, rather than the current 22, and remove an exception for older children who study full time.
Tolentino, 42, arrived Canada last summer under the live-in caregiver program and won’t be eligible to apply for permanent resident status until June 2014, when she meets the minimum employment hours required.
Her son, Louis Armand, is 18 and studies computer science in college. By the time Tolentino can apply for permanent residency, he will be over the age limit under the new law that takes effect on Jan. 1.
“I don’t see a future if I cannot have my son with me in Canada,” said Tolentino, a former high school science teacher. “I work so hard and make so many sacrifices but I won’t be able to have my son join me here. I can’t describe how I feel. This kills my dreams and all my hopes.”
The federal government says the changes reflect its immigration goals to fuel economic prosperity and target immigrants with the skills to meet labour needs.
“The earlier in life immigrants arrive, the more their educational experience will resemble that of their Canadian-born counterparts and the easier it will be to learn an official language and adapt to Canadian cultural traits and social norms,” the government says in an outline of the proposal.
However, critics say the plan will split families not only among the 80,000 live-in caregivers and countless refugees awaiting family reunifications, but also everyone applying for permanent residency as the immigration system increasingly favours applicants to come here on temporary visas — as foreign students or migrant workers — as a pathway for permanent status.
On Monday, a community coalition will launch the “My Canada Includes All Families” campaign in an effort to halt passage of the new law through public education and political lobbying.
“The net result of all these changes is family separation, which is no different than the historical Chinese and Head Tax and Exclusion Act, for which Prime Minister Stephen Harper has apologized and has promised to never repeat again,” said Avvy Go of the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, a coalition member.
Rose Dekker, refugee coordinator of the Burlington-based faith group World Renew, said a 19-year-old is not yet an adult but very much still an integral part of a family.
“We talk about Canada being a country that honours family values and here we are finding another way to tear families apart,” said Dekker, whose organization, formerly known as the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, has helped resettle thousands of United Nations-sanctioned refugees to Canada since 1979.
Kenney spokesperson Alexis Pavlich said current law allows those over 18 to come to Canada independently, apply to sponsor a spouse or a parent or grandparent to Canada. Yet, they can be recognized as dependent when they are being sponsored to Canada.
University of Toronto immigration law professor Audrey Macklin said the dependent children’s age cutoffs in the United States and Australia are 21 and 25 respectively.
“This new law applies to everyone across all categories of immigration. The implications are very significant,” said Macklin.
The government suggested the older children could come to Canada separately as international students, who normally must pay double or triple the tuitions than domestic students. Upon their graduation, officials said, they could try to apply for immigration on their own.
“It is impossible. We just can’t afford it,” said Tolentino. “I only make a bit over $1,000 a month. I am already sending every penny home. I will never save enough money to let my son study here.”
Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: Nicholas Keung
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