Spousal sponsorship pilot program extended for 1 year

The federal government has extended for one year a pilot programto help the spouses of Canadians already in the country but living in limbo while waiting forpermanent residency.

The one-year pilot was launched in December2014 under the previous Conservative government after the CBC Go Public team reported on the case ofBlairHacche,a new Zealand man living in Ontario. He had applied for permanent residency under the spousal sponsorship program but was struggling to support his family due to long processing times.

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Thousands ofapplicantslike Hacchefound themselvesunable to work and without health coveragewhile the government processed their sponsorship applications.

The pilot program launched under the Conservatives was extended last month without much fanfare except for a notice posted on the Immigration Department's website.

"Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada has extended the pilot program which gives open work permits to eligible spouses or partners in Canada whose in-Canada sponsorship applications have already beensubmitted, giving them the freedom to work while their applications for permanent residence are being processed," Nancy Caron, a spokeswomanfor the department, said in an email to CBC News.

"This pilot program ensures applicants are able to work, provide for their families and contribute to the Canadian economy while waiting for their applications to be processed."

Nearly7,600 work permits were issued between the launch of the program on Dec. 22, 2014, and Oct. 31, Caron said.

The current wait time for sponsoring aspouse or common-law partner who is already in Canada is over two years, according to the latest data posted on the federal government website.

Immigration MinisterJohnMcCallumsaid last weekthe Liberals arecommitted to reducing overall wait times calling such delays "way too high."

Processing times for Canadians looking to sponsor their spouses or common-law partners living outside the country are upwards of 17 months, but this pilot program does not extend to them.

Canadians who want to sponsor theirparents and grandparents have been waiting upwards of four years.

The Liberals have budgeted an additional $25 million to reduce application processing times in 2016-17, followed by an additional $50 million a year for the next three years.