Canada and Haiti have always maintained a cordial relationship and the former hosts one of the largest community from the Caribbean nation. Not surprisingly, following the widespread earthquake in Haiti, Canadian government has introduced new immigration rules for Haitian immigrants. As part of the new implementations, the government said that it will give emphasis on Haitian applications that are already in process.

The immigration minister said that the government is likely to prioritize their measures, of course, people intending to enter Canada under the family sponsorship comes in first. Haitian immigrants in Canada who are willing to sponsor family members in the Caribbean nation will be given priority first of all. However, it seems hard for the government to come in terms with the provincial government of Quebec in expanding the “family” definition under the family sponsorship program. The province’s government is in favor of altering the family definition in response to the appeal of the Haitian community in the province. Reportedly, Quebec has about ninety percent of Haitian immigrants out of the total in whole Canada.

The federal government is also very clear that priority will be given to the people who have been directly affected by the earthquake in Haiti in order to reunite families. Thus, with fulfilling the basic requirements of the sponsorship program, the applicants must prove that they have been significantly affected by the disaster.

As per the new rules, the immigration department of Canada is also planning to allow temporary residents in Canada to apply for extension of stay, minus additional fees; relieving Haitian nationals who have been decided to remove from Canada and more. Another measure that the Canadian government has been intending to implement is about fast-tracking the adoption process for Haitian orphans.