People wanting to come to Canada stuck with pending applications: Kitchener immigration lawyer

The federal government's plan to bring 400,000 immigrants into the country this year is a good goal, but they also need to address a massive backlog created during the pandemic of people waiting in the system, says a Kitchener immigration lawyer.

Jennifer Roggemannsaidevery person immigratingto Canada has to do a fingerprint. That has to be done in person and between March and July of 2020, the buildings where people could do thatwere closed. Even after they were open, there were people waiting for their turn.

She saidoneclient who applied for a study permit last July couldn't give a fingerprint safely until last week.

"So the last six, eight months, that file was just pending," she said.

She said the federal government has changed the way it does business and must all be done virtually. And other rules put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 are impacting people who want to come here.

"The travel restrictions, there's no doubt therehas been incredible impacts," Roggemann said.

No flights to sun destinations doesn't just impact people seeking vacations away from the snow, she said. It also impacts people who want to immigrate to Canada from those countries.

She saidgoing forward, Canada is still a very attractive location for people to want to immigrate to, but the people who want to come here must be flexible as the process changes and must be "persistent and persevere."

Listen to the full interview: