Filipiniana News - December 2016 Rhyme and Reason More Immigration Policy Updates Last month, a number of changes were introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and were summarized in this column. Early this month, a few more changes were announced that could significantly impact the lives of many who intend to make Canada their home. Faster Processing of Spousal Sponsorship Applications On 7 December 2016, immigration minister John McCallum announced that the IRCC will further expedite the processing of all spousal sponsorship applications. He said that new spousal sponsorship applications will be completed in less than 12 months. All pending spousal sponsorship applications or those submitted prior to 7 December 2016, will also be processed quickly and "should have a decision no later than the end of December 2017." However, "complex" c...