Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program Details

Canada emphasis more on family reunification and thus plans to welcome 20,500 parents and grandparents in 2019 under the parents' and grandparents’ sponsorship program. The parents and grandparents (PGP) sponsorship program is for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents to Canada for permanent residency. The parents/grandparents can also visit Canada for up to two years on Super Visa if for any reason they do not meet the Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship Program requirements.

Once the parents and grandparents obtain the status of permanent residents, they will be eligible to access social services such as medical care, work, or study in Canada. The parents' and grandparents’ sponsorship applications will be entertained on submitting the interest to sponsor form in the allocated time by IRCC. Normally the parents and grandparents program gets open every year in January with an application limit of 20,000 applications.

Eligibility for the parents and grandparents sponsorship program

In order to be eligible to sponsor your parents or grandparents, the applicants must be:

• At least 18 years old.
• A Canadian citizen or
• A permanent resident of Canada
• Free from criminal records.
• Have enough income to sponsor your parents/grandparents to Canada as per the minimum necessary income (MNI) table:

Parents and Grandparents' Income requirements for the last 03 taxation years:

Income Requirement Table for the last 03 years

If you sponsor your parents or grandparents, you will have to:

• Support them and their dependents (if any) financially.
• Meet a minimum level of income as per the above table for the last 03 tax years. The sponsor must meet an income 30 percent above the low-income cut-off (LICO) level. The amount of income is based upon the size of the family including all dependents and the family members being sponsored including all dependents.
• Provide evidence of having met a minimum level of income for the past 3 years. In case you are married or in a common-law relationship the income of both partners can be used as evidence. To prove their income the sponsors must use their income tax return document as the immigration authority will not consider any other evidence of income.
• Sign a sponsorship agreement that commits the sponsor to provide financial support to the sponsored person for a period of 20 years.
• Meet Quebec’s immigration requirements in case you live in Quebec.

Changes in 2019 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

There will be a few changes in the new program for 2019 including the following:

1. The IRCC launches an application intake every year normally in January for submission of “interest to sponsor forms”.
2. In 2017 and 2018 the government conducted draws at random for all submitted interest to sponsor forms. However, from 2019 the sponsors will be issued invitations to apply (ITA) upon filling out the ‘interest to sponsor forms and only those will be issued an invitation to apply (ITA) who filled up and submitted the interest to sponsor form within the allocated time. The lottery system has been scrapped.
3. Only 20, 000 applications are accepted per year which is renewed after a year in January.
4. Those who will be issued invitations will have 90 days or as per the date given by IRCC to submit a complete application.

How to apply for the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

To apply the sponsors must submit Interest to sponsor forms online. The number of ‘interest to sponsor’ may be greater than the intake thus some potential sponsors may not be invited to apply. The form normally requires the following information:

1. Names of sponsor and the persons to be sponsored
2. Given names & Surnames
3. Date of birth of applicants
4. Country of birth
5. Home address
6. Present status of sponsor in Canada 
7. Family size
8. The income of the sponsor for the past three years.
9. Information regarding the person to be sponsored.

If the Canadian sponsor is approved the application will be processed at a Canadian Immigration office.

Other Requirements for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

All people being sponsored must pass criminal record checks and security checks. They will also have to take medical tests. Similarly, the person who is sponsoring must have a clean criminal record and not be convicted of certain crimes. They must show sufficient income and must not be on social assistance. The sponsor must not be in the default of a previous sponsorship.

Appeals on Rejected Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Applications

In cases where an application is rejected by the immigration authorities due to reasons such as insufficient income, inadmissibility, health reasons or misrepresentation appeals can be made through an application to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board. The appeal must be made in writing within 30 days of the sponsor’s receipt of the refusal decision. The appeal may be accepted on humanitarian and compassionate grounds even if it was correct according to the law. In case the sponsorship refusal cannot be appealed since the IAD does not have legal jurisdiction an appeal may be made to the Federal Court.

Processing Time for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

The processing time can take up to two years. Once the application is approved the foreign parents/grandparents will be issued permanent resident visas that will allow them to travel to Canada.

 You don’t have to wait any longer to be united with your loved ones. Let us help you today. Contact us now for a free consultation session.