By CIC News | Link to Article
By CIC News | Link to Article
April 14, 2014 — Brampton, ON — Today Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, along with Member of Parliament for Brampton–Springdale, Parm Gill, affirmed that Canada remains a destination of choice for visitors, students and business travellers from India.
In 2013, Canada issued more than 130,000 visas to people coming to visit family, friends or as tourists. We also welcomed almost 14,000 students and admitted more than 33,000 Indian citizens as permanent residents of Canada.
For over a century, Canada has benefited from the talent and hard work of newcomers from India. Tens of thousands of Indians continue to make the journey to Canada every year to help us build our country, our economy and, in many cases, to settle permanently and become Canadians.
The government has been making changes to facilitate legitimate travel, welcoming more visitors, businesspeople and students to Canada than ever before. The Business Express Program (BEP), introduced in 2008, was created to ensure faster processing of visa applications for businesspeople. In addition, the Worker Express Program, which provides expedited service to applicants sent to Canada by companies under the BEP, was introduced in India in June 2009 and has since benefited more than 7,200 Indian citizens.
In addition to the BEP, in July 2011, the government extended the duration of multiple-entry visas from five to 10 years allowing visitors to enter and exit Canada for up to six months at a time over a 10-year period. The Parent and Grandparent Super Visa remains a fast and convenient option for parents and grandparents who want to spend longer periods of time with their families in Canada. By the end of February 2014, more than 31,000 Super Visas had been issued, and almost 97 percent of qualified Super Visa applicants were approved.
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