In the next three years, Canada’s annual immigration intake through the Parents and Grandparents Program is expected to increase by more than a third.
Ottawa’s most recent Immigration Levels Plan anticipates 25,000 newcomers through the programme in 2022, 28,500 in 2023, and 32,000 in 2024. This represents a 36% increase over the 2021 objective of 23,500 PGP newcomers. The PGP is a popular programme for which Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has fought for years to find an acceptable framework.
IRCC now employs a lottery system in which sponsors submit an ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form during a one-month period. The pool of sponsors is then picked at random and sponsors are invited to apply to bring their parents and/or grandparents to Canada.
Canada’s immigration agency has revealed that it does not know when applications for the 2022 PGP will be accepted.
“Information on the next parent and grandparent intake is not yet available,” wrote IRCC media relations officer Rémi Larivière in a recent email. “IRCC continues to process parents and grandparents’ applications that we have already received, including from the 2021 intake, in order to meet our 2022 immigration levels targets.”
Ottawa continues to assert that family reunion, including the sponsorship of parents and grandparents for permanent residence, is a “top priority”.
“The government of Canada knows how important it is for families to be together,” noted Larivière.
On December 6, 2021, Canadian immigration officials ceased taking applications for the PGP and hoped to receive 30,000 completed applications after issuing out 34,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) in less than two weeks.
Parents and Grandparents Program: Process
For the PGP, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) runs a lottery system. Before being placed in a pool, citizens and permanent residents must fill out an Interest to Sponsor form.
IRCC conducts random pool draws and offers Invitations to Apply. After that, the sponsors, as well as their parents and grandparents, have 60 days to complete a full application.
Who Is Eligible To Sponsor Parents Or Grandparents?
Sponsors must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Live in Canada.
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- Have enough money to support those they want to sponsor by meeting minimum income requirements for the previous three years. Candidates can include a co-signer in their application, allowing the combined income to be considered.
Sponsors must also:
- Agree to financially support the parent or grandparent for 20 years from the date they are approved for permanent residence.
- Reimburse the government for any social assistance paid out to the parent or grandparent during that time.
After being recognised as a sponsor by IRCC, sponsors who live in Quebec must complete the Quebec immigration sponsoring standards. The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation, and Integration (MIFI) examines the sponsor’s income and demands a signed agreement.
Parents and Grandparents Program: Who Can Be Sponsored?
- Citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
- In cases of divorce or separation, the spouses or common-law partners of parents and grandparents are also eligible.
- A sponsor’s brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, are only eligible if they qualify as dependent children.
- More than one person or couple can be sponsors if the financial requirements are met.
Parents and Grandparents Super Visa
Those who do not qualify for the PGP should try applying for the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which permits a parent or grandparent to visit Canada for up to two years at a time. A super visa allows for numerous admissions for a period of up to ten years.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only.
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