Canada to re-open parents and grandparents immigration program October 13

Canadian citizens and permanent residents will soon be able to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada.

Canada's immigration department says that it will accept interest to sponsor forms for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) between 12:00 p.m. EDT on October 13 and 12:00 p.m. EST on November 3. These are not applications for the PGP itself, but rather, are an opportunity for people to express their interest in sponsoring their family members for Canadian immigration.

Are you eligible for PGP 2020? Complete our free eligibility tool!

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will then randomly select potential sponsors and send them an invitation to submit an application. Selected applicants will have up to 60 days to submit their completed sponsorship application.

Read our PGP 2020 FAQ

IRCC will accept a maximum of 10,000 applications in 2020. It will open a new intake of interest to sponsor process in 2021 to accept a total of 30,000 new applications.

IRCC is also introducing a temporary public policy that will reduce the income requirement for the 2020 tax year to the minimum necessary income, rather than the minimum necessary income plus 30 per cent. This is to accommodate those who have been negatively affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, more than ever, family reunification is an important component of Canada’s immigration system. It plays a key role in attracting, retaining and integrating the best and the brightest from around the world.

— Marco Mendicino (@marcomendicino) October 5, 2020

Registration opening was supposed to take place earlier this year, but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

IRCC aimed to welcome 21,000 new immigrants through the parents and grandparents program this year, as per the departments immigration levels targets. The targets were announced just days before Canada imposed coronavirus travel restrictions in March. Since then, Canada's immigration levels have fallen significantly.

Are you eligible for PGP 2020? Complete our free eligibility tool!

How will the 2020 PGP intake process work?

Step 1: Potential sponsors indicate their interest

IRCC will post the interest to sponsor form on its website for 3 weeks between October 13 on 12 PM EDT and November 3 2020 until 12 PM EST.

Individuals with disabilities can also submit a paper copy, Braille, and large print interest to sponsor form to IRCC upon request. They can contact IRCC at 1-888-242-2100 or email the following address until November 3rd: IRCC.PGP.CORRECTION-CORRECTION.PGP.IRCC@cic.gc.ca

A random selection process will then be used to ensure the process is fair and all interested sponsors have an equal opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form and a chance of being invited to apply.

Read our PGP 2020 FAQ

Step 2: Invitations to apply will be sent to potential sponsors

IRCC will review all submissions, remove duplicate entries, and randomize the forms.

It will have one round of invitations to apply in 2020, with a maximum of 10,000 applications accepted for processing.

Invitations issued by IRCC are non-transferable.

Step 3: Applications are submitted

Potential sponsors who receive an invitation to apply will have 60 days to submit their completed application.

Are you eligible for PGP 2020? Complete our free eligibility tool!

Who is eligible to sponsor family through PGP?

Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and registered First Nations are able to sponsor their own parents or grandparents, according to the government's webpage.

Sponsors must be at least 18 years old, living in Canada, and they must have enough money to support the people who they want to sponsor.

Eligibility criteria differs for sponsors living in the province of Quebec. People in the rest of Canada need to have enough financial means to support sponsored family members for 20 years starting when they become permanent residents. In Quebec, it is 10 years and the province also assesses sponsor income.

In either case, sponsors must sign an undertaking with the government meaning that they'll provide for the basic needs of the sponsored family member, and that the sponsored person will make every effort to support themselves. The undertaking period is 20 years across Canada but 10 years for sponsors in Quebec.

There are also certain cases where people will not be eligible to sponsor their parent or grandparent such as: people who are in jail; who did not pay back immigration loans, performance bonds, or court-order family support payments; or who declared bankruptcy and are not discharged among other circumstances.

How much money do you need to sponsor your parents or grandparents to move to Canada?

The following is the amount of income you need to demonstrate to go ahead with your sponsorship application for the 2020 PGP:

IRCC states that it will assess sponsor incomes for the 2020, 2019, and 2018 tax years, however it will allow sponsors to submit their 2020 tax returns to IRCC after they have submitted their sponsorship applications in early 2021.

Sponsors in Quebec need to meet the following financial capacity requirements:

Who can be sponsored?

The biological or adopted parents and grandparents of eligible Canadians are eligible for sponsorship, as well as step parents in cases of divorce or separation. Brothers, sisters, and half siblings are only eligible to be sponsored if they are dependent children under age 22.

If applicants want to sponsor more than one person or couple, they must meet all the income requirements for everyone on the application and their dependants.

Sponsored family members will need to provide all the required documents for the application and any additional information such as medical exams, police certificates, and biometrics.

The PGP is not for Canadians to sponsor their in-laws, their spouse's parents and grandparents, though they may be a co-signer on their in-laws' application. Parents and grandparents who are inadmissible to Canada are also ineligible for sponsorship.

Are you eligible for PGP 2020? Complete our free eligibility tool!

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