For Citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania
For Citizens of Brazil, Bulgaria and Romania
From May 1, 2017, citizens of BRAZIL, BULGARIA AND ROMANIA are no longer required to apply for a visitor visa, instead needing only an Electronic Travel Authorization for travel to Canada by air if they meet any of the following conditions: they have held a Canadian temporary resident visa at any time during the last 10 years or, at the time of application, hold a valid U.S. nonimmigrant visa.
Two-Year Residency Rule Has Been Eliminated
On April 28, 2017, conditional permanent residence requirements for spouses and partners were eliminated. Sponsored spouses or partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are no longer required to live with their sponsor for two years in order to keep their permanent resident status, as the government does not wish a sponsored spouse or partner who is in an abusive situation to remain in it for fear of losing their status in Canada.
This change applies to anyone who was subject to the requirement, as well as to new spouses and partners who are sponsored as permanent residents. By eliminating the conditions, the government demonstrates its commitment to reunification of families and gender equality. As a result of this regulatory change, defenseless sponsored spouses will no longer need to stay in abusive relationships for fear of losing their permanent resident status.
Effective May 3, 2017, the age of a dependent child, which means the age at which a child will be able to accompany his or her parents to Canada on a permanent resident application, has been raised again, back to under 22. Under the new regulation, dependent children under 22 years of age can be included in spousal sponsorship applications.
The previous government of Canada had changed the definition, so that dependent children over 19 could no longer be sponsored as part of a spousal sponsorship application. The current government of Canada has reverted to the previous definition of “dependent child” for sponsorship purposes.
