Mercedes Stephenson

Mercedes Stephenson: As of Jan. 2, Canadians with parents or grandparents overseas can apply for them to become permanent residents in this country, according to CTV. "You can imagine that the race is on," 's Mercedes Stephenson said from Ottawa Thursday, noting that the applications will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis and A new calendar year means some new rules are in effect across Canada. Here's a look at what's changed. Applications were halted in 2011, to clear an eight-year backlog. Now that the Family Reunification Program has begun again, Ottawa says it will limit the number of applications to 5,000 annually. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.