Recently, many astronauts from Taiwan and mainland China have to stay abroad for a long time due to business or work, or are affected by SARS and cannot take a plane and return to Canada to apply for a maple leaf card as planned. Some of them may think that to apply for a maple leaf card, they must delay their children and daughters. The whole family buys air tickets and flies across the Pacific, which is a waste of money and is not cost-effective. In this case, is there any solution?

According to World Journal, Immigration officials still insist that the Maple Leaf Card must be applied for in Canada, but whether the applicant must be in Canada is unclear.

Immigration lawyer Qian Lu pointed out that the latest update on the immigration department’s website actually reveals the secret: there is no strict requirement to apply for a maple leaf card to fill out the form in the country. He said the Immigration Department has quietly narrowed the original four conditions to three conditions (guidelines) in the form of a maple leaf card and removed the “Applicant must be in Canada himself” rule.

Qian Lu cites Article 56, Article 2 of New Immigration, noting that the law clearly emphasizes that the application for a maple leaf card must be submitted in Canada, but does not say that I must handle it in Canada in person. Qian Lu believes that due to legal interpretation, the Immigration Department has actually accepted the fact that some applicants have filled out overseas forms. This is good news for the "astronaut" immigrants who are temporarily stuck overseas and unable to change the card.

In addition, according to verification by immigration attorney Li and the project manager of the Maple Leaf Card Processing Center, the law does not exclude foreign forms as long as the applicant meets the conditions for the “Canadian Application” and the trustee submits documents in Canada, but remember that the return address must be in Canada.

Li Guangta (Li) pointed out that there are three ways to meet the provisions of "making an application in Canada": 1. Fill out the form overseas and send it to a Canadian relative, and after the documents are approved, the Canadian guarantor will send it to a Canadian relative; 2. Go to the overseas consulate, take an oath in front of Canadian officials, complete the notarization process, and then send it to relatives and friends in Canada; 3. Overseas applicants sign oath and certification documents in front of Canadian practicing lawyers, which can also be considered as applying for an application in China. Li Guangta (Li) believes that from the perspective of Canada's "evidence law", the legal effect of filling out forms and oaths overseas is sustainable.