Online immigration forms close within minutes, prompting tears from applicants and criticism from lawyers

Harmeet Singh tried to apply to bring parents to Canada, but new first-come first-served system filled up fast

Harmeet Singh was planning to apply to bring his parents to Canada under a new immigration system — but within minutes of federal applications opening online, it was already too late. The new first-come, first-served online application system launched at 9 a.m. PT on Monday. Submitting an expression of interest and applicant information is the first step to sponsor family members to come to Canada.