Canada’s Latest Immigration Rule for Individuals with Disabilities a Boon?

Canada has done it again or so it seems some detractors’ reservations and dissatisfaction notwithstanding. Here, we are referring to the latest reforms made by the nation that concern the many Canada Permanent Residency applicants suffering from any disability and their family members.

As per the information that we have on the subject, the government has come out with some major reforms recently, and it has declared that it will go rather easy on those suffering from disabilities, and make the immigration Canada Permanent Residency application process for such people and their families easier.

The result: now such people can look forward to successfully applying for the prized Canadian Permanent Residency without any fears of being discriminated against, for allegedly being a burden on the Canadian economy and bleeding the national health resources white. 

The decision made public recently by the incumbent Canadian Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen, has, expectedly, thrilled those suffering from disabilities and also their family members even as many of them previously affected by the law are now airing their views ion public on the subject.

While some such people have voiced restraint proclaiming they’re perturbed about who will eventually foot the bill and pay for the reforms, or that these are not adequate for guaranteeing equality for those suffering from disabilities; some others, reportedly, say they’re elated that Ottawa has taken a just stand on safeguarding the rights of all people particularly kids in the grip of disabilities.

As presently written, the regulation enables the administration to refuse residency to a whole family in case even one individual in the group is found suffering from any major disability or medical state that could put extreme demand on the nation’s publicly funded health and social service structures – denoting it will cost over $6,655 a year to care for them a number the administration, reportedly, claim was the average, per-capita health and social service spending in the nation during 2016.

However, post the latest declaration, the Maple Leaf Country wont’ any more consider certain costs at the time of deciding in case someone may move to the nation, like for example, special education expenses for the kids with intellectual disabilities. The administration, reportedly, says it will also triple the cost threshold for refusing a person, on the basis of the medical conditions, to close-to $20,000 per annum.

In making the declaration, Hussen, reportedly, stated that Ottawa will not any more consider those in grip of a disability as a liability when they submit an application to move to the nation.

Changes Not Enough, Claim Advocacy Groups

The government’s latest effort in the positive direction however do not seem to have much impressed many, including some of the advocacy groups quite active in the country. In the wake of the declaration, these groups were rather quick to reply to the reforms, claiming the administration didn’t do enough to bring to an end a “discriminatory” rule that according to them unethically targets those suffering from disabilities and their close relatives.

In a joint statement released recently, some representatives from many such groups reportedly stated that the administration has failed to do the right thing by not eradicating the law completely even while they reportedly mentioned a parliamentary committee report from last December advising the law be cancelled as the reason for their emotional state.

However, the administration reportedly and expectedly differs with the stand. When openly challenged on whether keeping this law in place – though in a restricted way – which only serves to continue an arrangement that victimizes those with disabilities, Hussen reportedly stated he considers it does not.

In the meantime, a concerned Canadian immigration lawyer reportedly asserts that it remains to be seen how the administration will execute the changes.

Significantly, in the wake of the recent official declaration, some officers from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reached out to many of the families profiled through a probe that exposed serious defects with the manner the administration manages the petitions submitted for residency by those suffering from disabilities.