New figures indicate the federal government hopes to reduce overall immigration next year by five per cent, mainly by cutting back on family reunification visas.

Figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada show the government will issue about 11,000 visas this year to parents and grandparents of Canadian residents, down from more than 16,000 last year.

Richard Kurland, the Vancouver-based immigration lawyer who filed the access-to-information request, told CBC News the slashed rate and the 140,000 applicants already in the queue mean a parent could wait 13 years for a visa if he or she were to apply today.

"Frankly, there's a better chance of the parents seeing a coffin before a Canadian visa," he said.

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CBC Community members have already weighed in in the story's comments:

TravisTJustice

My parents immigrated and did not bring in their whole family so that their parents and grandparents did not abuse our systems!

Wonder why our medical costs are spiraling?

Handsome Bob

Let's dispense with the pleasantries and call a spade a spade: a number of comments posted here, including the top "agreed" ones, have a pure and simple agenda of xenophobia and racism.

The hypocrisy is all the more stunning considering that most Canadians, and chances are this includes these commentators, have at least one living ancestor who is an immigrant. Not only that but if these people actually had an education, they would know that the consensus view in economics is that immigration is in fact benefiting them.

Fortunately, my experience is that the kind of people who share these kinds of views are a vocal but small minority of Canadians, and they do not represent Canada or its values.

Trajan

What is clear is that a majority of Canadians will have absolutely no problem with this at all. I am not anti-immigration, I have worked with people from all over the globe in Toronto and have respect for the hard work and dedication to their families, and the respect shown to customs, laws and traditions of Canada. But there is also a realization that maybe we need to pump the brakes a tad on our exceedingly generous and rather large floodgates to possibly take stock of where we are and where we are going with our current policies.

Do you agree with the government's plan to reduce overall immigration? Is cutting family reunification visas the way to do it? Let us know in the comments below.  (This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)