Maria Rabino: Rabino

Caroline Hickton Dept: That was 2005. Seven years later, Rabino's eldest - just 10 when she left - is almost old enough for university and Rabino still has no idea how long it will take for the family to be reunited, according to Vancouver Sun. Waiting times for open work permits, which used to be up to two years, have been reduced to a few months thanks to changes introduced by the federal government in December. But permanent residence application processing times have increased in recent years, said Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman Caroline Hickton in a statement and when Maria Rabino left her family in the Philippines to come to Canada as a live-in caregiver, she imagined her three children would join her in a few years, in time for high school. Her expectation was not an unreasonable one. Live-in caregivers come to Canada from abroad to care for children or seniors. After they have completed 24 months of work in the field, they are eligible to apply for both an open work permit, which allows them to work in any field, and permanent resident status, which enables them to sponsor their families to join them. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.