Canada All Set to Increase Applications for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

The number of applications under the parents and grandparents sponsorship program will soon increase from 10,000 to whopping 17,000. The announcement came on August 2nd, 2018, from Canada’s Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen.

The news is in accordance with the announcement by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) earlier this month, which suggested the government’s plans on inviting potential sponsors who had previously filed an Interest to Sponsor form between January 2, 2018 and February 1, 2018.

The move to increase the number of applications will help achieve the immigration goals set by the Government of Canada. The issuing of the additional number of invitations will be done through a random selection process, similar to what was followed in the earlier cases.

Sponsors will get 60 days from the date of receipt to file a complete application. One can use the CRS Calculator and the free assessment form available online for any additional help.

Parents and Grandparents Program by IRCC is an ideal Family Class Sponsorship initiative of Canada. It allows applicants to file for permanent residency for their parents and/or grandparents. Before processing their application, it is advisable to download the free assessment form and verify the documents.

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant applying for permanent residency for his or her parents and/or grandparents must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be over 18 years of age.
• He or she should be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada.

The applicants sponsoring his or her parents and/or grandparents are bound to perform the following duties:

• Support parents or grandparents and their dependents financially.
• Meet the minimum necessary income level for this program by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their sponsorship.
• Sponsors must also demonstrate that they have met the minimum necessary income level for three consecutive years. If married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both persons can be included; and
• The sponsor and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits the sponsor to provide financial support for the sponsored person for up to 20 years.

Potential sponsors who live in Quebec must also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements.