Why isn’t CIC expanding the definition of family class to include other relatives such as siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles?
A. CIC’s first priority is to support Canadians and their close relatives, especially children, to reunite immediate families in Canada. As such, spouses, common-law and conjugal partners, dependent children (including a child adopted abroad), parents and grandparents and orphaned family members (brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews or grandchildren under 18) are considered immediate family members under Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and will be given priority processing. The Family Class defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is one of the most generous definitions of family in the world for immigrant receiving countries.
