Minister John McCallum and Immigration Minister

election campaign: Raising the cap on applications was a promise the Liberals made during the election campaign. The move signals that the broader Liberal plan on how many immigrants Canada will accept in 2016 is likely nearing release, as Immigration Minister John McCallum had previously said the two were connected, according to Huffington Post Canada. Immigration Minister John McCallum speaks at a press conference in Ottawa. The immigration minister issued formal instructions Friday that this year and in each year going forward, 10,000 applications will be accepted, up from 5,000 in each of the previous two years. The parent and grandparent visa program is one of the most popular immigration streams but in 2011, the previous Conservative government shut it down, citing problems with the program and a need to work through a massive backlog in applications. But the most criticized step was a cap on new applications at 5,000. When they reopened the program in 2014, they made a number of changes, including increasing how much money someone is required to have before sponsoring a parent or grandparent, and how long that support must be guaranteed. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.