Canada to speed up immigration requests from Haiti

(AP) — The Canadian government says it will expedite immigration applications from Haitians with family in Canada and give immigration priority to Haitians adversely affected by the devastating earthquake.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Saturday that Haitians currently in Canada temporarily will also be allowed to extend their stay. Canada will also prioritize pending adoption cases with the visa office in Port-au-Prince.

Canada will open a satellite immigration office in Dominican Republic to help facilitate the immigration process.

About 6,000 Canadians live in Haiti.

Canada has more than 100,000 people of Haitian descent, most of whom live in Montreal.