A new immigration policy under which all “first degree” relatives of persons now in Canada will be admitted to the Dominion was announced in the House of Commons yesterday by Minister of Resources James A. Glenn, who is in charge of immigration.
Mr. Glenn also announced that displaced persons without valid passports from their countries of origin will be permitted to enter if they possess travel documents establishing their identity. While the new policy is already in force, in principle, it will not operate until sufficient shipping is available, which is not expected before the beginning of next year, he said. The Immigration Department has hundreds of thousands of applications on file and they will be dealt with in the order in which they were received, the Minister added.
In a statement welcoming the announcement, which will allow parents, children, non-married brothers and sisters and orphaned nieces and nephews of Canadian residents to enter, the Canadian Jewish Congress expressed the hope that the Government would change its entire closed door policy and admit a “fair quota” of the displaced Jews in Europe.
It said that Mr. Glenn’s announcement followed representations by the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society and other organizations. According to informed sources here, Col. David Croll, Jewish M.P. from Toronto, was also influential in securing easing of the immigration regulations.
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