An officer of the Catherine Street branch of Immigration Canada in Ottawa provided the following public information during a telephone interview on 24 January 1996.

A Canadian citizen or landed immigrant can sponsor his/her parents and their dependents under the family class category. In this context, "dependent" means children who are under the age of 19, or if they are over that age, are full-time students and therefore dependent on their parents.

The brothers and sisters of a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant can be sponsored under the family class category if they are under the age of 19 and were never married and/or orphaned. Those who do not meet these requirements and wish to immigrate to Canada cannot be sponsored; they are required to apply as independent immigrants.

For additional information on the Canadian immigration regulations, please consult the Immigration Act of Canada, which is available in Regional Documentation Centres.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Immigration Canada, Catherine Street branch, Ottawa. 24 January 1996. Telephone interview with officer.