Immigrant families wait longer to be reunited in Quebec than rest of Canada

People hoping to reunite with family in Quebec through the Family Reunification Immigration Program are waiting longer than those elsewhere in the country, with additional delays stretching over a year or more. On average, it takes 24 to 26 months to have your immigration application processed in Quebec. That’s about 10-15 months longer than the rest of the country.

People hoping to reunite with family in Quebec through the Family Reunification Immigration Program are waiting longer than those elsewhere in the country, with additional delays stretching over a year or more.

On average, it takes 24 to 26 months to have your immigration application processed in Quebec. That’s about 10-15 months longer than in the rest of the country.

While many wait overseas to reunite with family, their loved ones marched to the federal immigration offices in Montreal on Saturday.

Among them was 10-month-old Felix Emilio, who has only seen his father twice.

“It's unfair for Felix to not have his father, and for my husband to not be able to enjoy all the little moments,” said his mother, Lysianne Bourget. Her husband is in the Dominican Republic.

So what’s different about Quebec? Unlike other provinces, it has control over its immigration targets.

Immigration lawyer Patrice Brunet says he has seen wait times increase in recent years, and has started talking to his clients about settling in other provinces.