Â鶹ÒùÔº

The Canadian government it is indefinitely pausing new permanent residency sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents.

Up until the pause, a limited number of qualifying Canadian citizens and permanent residents were able to . Now the only option is a which only allows them to stay in Canada for up to five years at a time.

The pause is part of the federal government's broader push to

This announcement could be devastating news for thousands of immigrant families settled in Canada hoping to reunify with their parents. The pause could also further undermine Canada's and address .

Culture matters: definitions of family

While some western cultures identify the as couples and their children, many see that unit as larger, with parents as an integral part of the family and household.

I grew up in China and as the only child in my family, it was a hard decision to come to Canada to work. I dedicated my to my parents:

"I want to thank my parents…It was not easy for them to spend every day, in particular Chinese New Years, without their only daughter by their side. They love me so much that they let me be half the world away to pursue my passion and career!"

How to provide care to my elderly parents has been on my mind since I left China over a decade ago. As the child of a working-class family, part of my financial equation is supporting my parents, including (if my parents are willing to move) my sponsorship of their immigration to Canada.

I am not alone. According to , over 700,000 immigrants to Canada are from China. And many of them were born during the era from 1979-2015.

Over the years, I have served as an expert witness for many immigration cases in which immigrants had to justify why it was important for their parents to immigrate to Canada.

In those cases, I have explained that just as young children are of principal immigrant applicants and thus, will be admitted as accompanying immediate families, parents could also be interpreted as dependants.

The current definition of "dependants" in Canada's immigration reflects what prominent sociologist Dorothy Smith had called the , emphasizing parents and young children living in the same household as a family.

However, many recent immigrants to Canada India, the Philippines, China, Syria, Nigeria and elsewhere—places where older parents and their adult children rely on to .

Challeges of separation and caregiving

Culture also matters. For example, in China and , the idea of placing one's parents in a nursing home is . Because of the , people and a sign of abandonment by adult children that leads to a serious loss of dignity for the elderly.

As , "if you get along well with your children…few will consider a nursing home."

To add to this, the in China. , China's largest city, there are fewer than three nursing home beds for every 100 elderly residents. In other less-developed regions, , with virtually no specialized nursing homes for taking care of elderly persons with disabilities.

The lack of social connectedness to adult children is a . Parents could lack social connectedness with their children who have immigrated to Canada, making them particularly and neglect in nursing homes.

Older immigrants are not burdens

A is that they will prove to be a burden on Canada's welfare and health-care system.

But research has demonstrated that older immigrants are not burdens on Canadian society as commonly assumed. Rather, according to an article in Canadian Ethnic Studies, ""

For example, given the , many immigrant families to young children, so that their parents, , can continue to work outside the home. Many also contribute to Canada's economy by working paid jobs and enrich Canada's communities through their diverse volunteer services.

Canada is competing against other . Allowing immigrants to reunite with their parents (and grandparents) is not only the right humanitarian choice; it is also one that will help Canadian families in their day to day lives, not to mention boost Canada's efforts to retain much-needed talent.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .