Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!daemon
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 90 18:16:12 EST
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From: jinh@power.ele.toronto.edu (Jin Hua)
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Hi, netters,

	I happened to attend the ISC meeting on family reunion this
afternoon.  My impression is as follows:

	1) A special procedure is established to speed up the family
	   reunion of Chinese students who have applied PR status in
	   Canada.  First, go to ISC (Internal Student Center) and
	   ask for a form prepared by immigration offices.  After
	   completing the form which requires your information and
	   maybe your relatives' information, return it to the specific
	   immigration office which you handled your PR application.
	   Then the immigration office will forward this form to
	   Canadian Embassy in Beijing.  If your relative has not yet
	   applied for a visa, he or she will be informed by the
	   Embassy to initiate an application and medical examinations.
	   After that, a Minister's Permit will be granted to your
	   relatives.

	2) The relatives referred here include only your spouse and
	   your unmarried children.  Brothers and sisters are not 
	   included.

	3) The Minister's Permit is simply a temporary visa, not an
	   immigration visa.  The Public Security Bureau (PSB) will not
	   be able to identify the reason why the permit is issued.     
	   That is to say, when you applies for the exit permit from
	   the PSB, it will not make much difference whether you
	   holds a visitor's visa or a Minister's Permit.  Plus,
	   the official said on the meeting that he saw examples
	   of having exit permits even before Canadian visas were
	   applied.

	4) Procedure described in (1) seems to be the only safe way
	   to have the family united from home.  If a vistor's visa  
	   is applied, it will likely be refused for the reason
	   that your relatives will eventually immigrate to Canada.
	   Therefore, a visitor's visa can not be granted.

	The information here is just as accurate as I could remember.
Consult ISC or fellow Chinese students for more details.

	Good luck to you all.


Jin Hua