Haitian immigrant fast-tracking upsets some

Some Canadians trying to sponsor family members to Canada are upset that theirapplications are beingdelayed because of the federal government'sdecision to fast-tracksponsorship applications from Haiti, which suffereda devastatingquakethat left more than 200,000 dead and morethan 1.5 million homeless.

Veronique Irani said she began her quest 18 months ago to bring her husband Wael to Ottawa from Liberia, a country known for political corruption, instability and violence. She is frustrated her application with Citizenship and Immigration Canada could take even longer now thatit has decided tospeed upapplications from Haiti.The agencyis currently processing more than 3,000 applications from Haiti, with more expected.

Irani's immigration lawyer Julie Taub said it takes more than $30,000to process one sponsorship applicantwhen health and social benefits arealso included, money thatcould help more people if it were spent on relief effortsin Haiti.

Citing World Vision, Taub said $30,000 to $40,000canhelp setup 80 to 100 field hospitals on the ground in Haiti.

"So where do you do the greater good?" she asked.

More than 87,000 sponsorshipapplicationshave been submitted with Citizenship and Immigration, andeach one can take up to three years to process, according to the agency.