chi@vlsi.uwaterloo.ca (Bo Chi) (02/01/90)
* C h i n a N e w s D i g e s t * (ND Canada Service) -- Jan. 31 (III), 1990 Table of Contents No. of Lines 1. Important Information on Immigration Matter ........................ 99 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Important Information on Immigration Matter -------------------------------------------------------------------------- by ND correspondent in Vancouver Today, immigration officers came to UBC campus to answer questions about family reunion and many other things. The following are a few points (according to the memory): About family reunion: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) Family reunion is an important issue in Canadian external affairs. In 1973, premier minister Trudeau and premier Zhou Enlai made agreement to easy this problem for families in both countries. There have been about 40,000 people come over to Canada since then for family reunion. 2) The following family reunion policy applies to any Chinese who applied PR and have received AIP letter. Family members include spouse and children only. Currently Canadian Embassy in Beijing puts the family reunion in a very high priority. No interview or medical exam will be required for family members to come over to Canada to reunion. The procedure is the following: Only a single application form needs to be filled at the CIC office where you made PR application. It will be passed over to Beijing. Once the Beijing Embassy receives this form, they will directly send relevant document to your family members in China. Some supporting document are required at the time of application, such as marriage license and the birth certificate of your children. For those husband and wife both are in Canada but have a little child left in China, they can name anybody to escort their children to Canada. The escort person will be given a visitor visa for this mission. About travel to China: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) By international convention and the agreement between Trudeau and Zhou Enlai, Canadian government has no legal right to a person who has PR status in Canada and has Chinese citizenship if the person goes back to China. This include the case that if you visit China and Chinese government does not permit you exit, Canada can do nothing to protect you. 2) By international law, if a person with multi-citizenship is not permitted to exit within a country of which he/she has citizenship, Canadian government can not do anything to protect him/her. That is, after you get Canadian citizenship, when you go to China and have trouble, Canadian government can do nothing to help you if you still have Chinese citizenship. By international law, if a Chinese, who has the Canadian citizenship and no longer have the Chinese citizenship, goes back to China and is not allowed to go back, Canadian government can bring the case to the Chinese foreign minister. By Chinese law, once a Chinese obtains the citizenship of another country, he/she automatically lose his/her Chinese citizenship. However, cases did happen that some Chinese went back to China after obtained Canadian citizenship were not permitted to exit, and Chinese government insisted in that they still have Chinese citizenship, although Chinese law says the opposite. The best way to avoid this is to get a letter from Chinese consulate or embassy, before your leaving for China, certifying that you no longer have Chinese citizenship because you have obtained Canadian citizenship, and bring the letter to CIC office. About supporting other people to come to Canada ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) One has to be a PR or a citizen to support family members or relatives. This does not applied to the case that a Chinese, WHO has applied PR and has received AIP letter, apply for FAMILY reunion (not relatives). 2) There are two classes i) family class, including spouse, children, parents and any sister and brother who has never been married to anyone; and ii) relatives, including uncle/aunt, brother/sister, grandparents and grandchildren ... as well as the "spouse to be". 3) Family class do not have to meet the point system, while relative class must meet the point system selection criteria. Also one must have certain amount of annual income in order to be qualified to support other people to come to Canada. About other things: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1) It is very important for every Chinese student to maintain legal status in Canada, even after received AIP letter. Renew visa and work permit before they expire. 2) If your passport is to expire and have problem to renew it from Chinese consulate/embassy, get a letter from them or write a letter yourself to CIC office. A special permit will be given for you to stay legally without passport. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | China News Digest Subscription: Xinmeng Liao xliao@ccm.umanitoba.ca | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | NDCadada Editor: Bo Chi chi@vlsi.waterloo.edu | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Wed Jan 31 23:00:38 EST 1990