Reuniting families is an important part of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) immigration program. CIC will significantly increase the number of admissions for sponsored parents and grandparents in 2012. At the same time, effective November 5, 2011, there has been a temporary pause of up to two years on the acceptance of new applications for this category. The increase in admissions paired with the pause will allow the department to reduce the backlog in this category.

To offset the potential impacts of the pause, effective December 1, 2011, CIC is introducing a Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, for foreign nationals seeking to visit their Canadian or permanent resident child or grandchild in Canada to apply for an extended stay of up to 24 months. Currently, visitors can usually stay for six months at a time. If they wish to stay longer, they must apply for an extension and pay new fees. With the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, eligible parents and grandparents will pay fewer fees and be able to enjoy the company of their families in Canada for a longer period of time without having to renew their status.

The Super Visa is a multiple entry visa, which will be valid for up to ten years. An applicant is eligible for a Super Visa if they have:

• provided proof of the parent or grandparent relationship to the Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• undergone a medical examination and are admissible on health grounds;
• provided satisfactory evidence of private medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company, valid for a minimum period of one year from the date of entry which:
• covers the applicant for health care, hospitalization and repatriation;
• provides a minimum of $100,000 coverage; and
• is valid for each entry to Canada and available for review by the examining officer upon request; and
• provided a written and signed promise of financial support, e.g. a letter of invitation, from the host child or grandchild for the entire duration the applicant intends to stay in Canada. The letter must be accompanied by evidence of their means of providing such support. This will normally mean details of the number of persons in the host’s household and proof of income at a level meeting or exceeding the Low-income Cut-off for the total number of persons, including the visiting parent(s) or grandparent(s).

To apply for a Super Visa, you must submit an Application for a Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside Canada (IMM 5257). You have to contact the responsible Canadian visa office to see if you need to fill out any additional forms or provide any additional documents.

If you are from a country whose citizens are visa exempt, you must submit an Application for a Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside Canada (IMM 5257) with no fees.

If you are already in Canada on a temporary resident status, you may apply for a two year extended stay by submitting an Application to Change Conditions, Extend My Stay or Remain in Canada (IMM 1249), along with the appropriate fees.

For more information, please visit our Web site. In addition, many answers to questions are addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section of our Web site.

 

The City of Mississauga’s outdoor skating rinks, including Mississauga Celebration Square will open on December 6, weather permitting. Residents are encouraged to bring their skates and enjoy the outdoor fun.

The Mississauga Celebration Square ice rink will open from December 6 to March 2012. The rink is 147 feet x 155 feet, making it the largest free outdoor artificial ice rink in the city. Visit www.mississauga.ca/portal/celebrationsquare for more information and hours of operation.

Each year, certain personal income tax and benefit amounts are indexed to inflation using the Consumer Price Index data as reported by Statistics Canada.

Increases to tax bracket thresholds, amounts relating to non‑refundable credits, and most other amounts will take effect on January 1, 2012. However, increases to the Canada Child Tax Benefit (including the National Child Benefit Supplement and the Child Disability Benefit) and the goods and services tax credit will take effect on July 1, 2012, to coincide with the beginning of the program year for payment of these benefits.

	2012($)	2011($)
Tax bracket thresholds Taxable income above which the 22% bracket begins	42,707	41,544
Taxable income above which the 26% bracket begins	85,414	83,088
Taxable income above which the 29% bracket begins	132,406	128,800

Canadians are being urged to stand up to bullying as Bullying Awareness Week kicks off with events across the country Monday and CP24 is asking you to help make a difference.

This year, organizers are focusing on cyber-bullying and asking people to sign a pledge to stand up to online harassment.

Kids Help Phone is encouraging people to tweet or put the following message in their Facebook status or email signature: “I will not tolerate hurtful comments online. Cyber-bullying will be reported to site administrators. Join me in taking a stand.”

Furthermore, CP24 has opened up a discussion forum (click here- at the bottom of the article) so that we can all share stories of how we’ve been bullied and how we’ve dealt with it.

The idea is to spark a conversation, lend each other support and to take a unified stand at what is quickly becoming a major issue among not only teens but anyone who is engaged online.

Even if you are the one who may be bullying others, we want to hear from you. Why do you do it? What would make you stop? Be aware. We will not be publishing any comments that are not constructive to the conversation.

85% of bullying incidents are witnessed by others

Most people who spend time online likely see examples of cyber-bullying – insults in the comments sections of websites, online gossiping, cruel emails and texts and the posting of embarrassing photos on Facebook groups – but do nothing about it, Kids Help Phone stated in a news release.

Taking a stand can be an effective solution to reduce bullying, the organization said.

Research indicates 85 per cent of bullying incidents are witnessed by other students, but bystanders try to stop it only 11 to 22 per cent of the time, Kids Help Phone said.

In a recent Statistics Canada survey, about one in 10 adults said a child aged eight to 17 in their household had been a victim of cyber-bullying.

Of those households, the child was 12 or 13 in 40 per cent of the cases, and between 15 and 19 in 26 per cent of the cases.

About 65 per cent of kids polled in a recent Kids Help Phone survey admitted to being victims of cyber-bullying.

Bell Media is a partner in the anti-bullying campaign. CP24 is a division of Bell Media.

Take a stand against cyber bullying. Speak up and speak out.