New immigration rules slammed
Anger and frustration were evident at a meeting Friday night in Regina where members of the local Pakistani community voiced their unhappiness with changes to a Saskatchewan immigration program.
The province announced changes to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program on May 2.
Among other things, the changes put a limit on how many additional family members may apply to immigrate until the original family has settled.
The people at the Regina meeting said the changes came without warning, catching some families who had already been making plans off guard.
Azkar Khan, who recently moved to Regina, said people at the meeting shared concerns that the changes, announced just over a week ago, will create unfairness.
"If I submit my two applications on 30th of April and my friend who is also eligible has those applications ready, but somehow couldn't make it to the office, now the rules are changes for him," Khan said.
More than 100 people from Regina's Pakistani community attended the Friday night meeting.
"This is about the community and I can see other people are upset," Khan added. "They're crying. Because they made this move. It's not easy to relocate in Canada."
A rally was being organized for Monday to protest the changes.
