FEDERAL New Democrats are calling the family reunification wait times increase for Asian cities unacceptable and urge the government to take action now to clear the huge backlog.

“For the first time, the waiting period for assessing a person being sponsored has exceeded 60 months in all visa offices in Asia, except one,” said NDP Deputy Immigration Critic Don Davies. “This number doesn’t even include the 3+ years it takes to assess the sponsor. All in all, the wait time to reunite with your loved ones is taking nearly a decade.”

Despite the moratorium on applications for Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship, the wait times continue to grow. Visa offices in Beijing, New Delhi, Manila and Singapore are all affected and New Democrats are putting the blame squarely on the Conservatives.

“The Conservative approach to family reunification has clearly failed and it is hurting specific communities here in Canada,” said Davies. “New Democrats, under the leadership of Tom Mulcair, will make family reunification a central priority and will work to clear the backlogs.”