• Posted 08-Oct-2020

All is now set for the reopening of the parents and grandparents immigration program

Plans are now underway for Canadian citizens as well as permanent residents to apply for Canadian immigration sponsorship for their parents and grandparents.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Honourable Marco E.L Mendicino who stated that this move is geared towards fulfilling the government’s promise of reuniting families amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mendicino clearly stated that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents that are interested in applying for the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) would have to fill and submit an interest to sponsor form online over a period of 3 weeks which will start from 12p.m. EDT on October 13, 2020 and end by 12 p.m. EST on November 3, 2020.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will randomly pick out potential sponsors and send them an invitation to apply and they will have up to 60 days from the receipt of the invitation to make their applications.

The IRCC has also provided an opportunity for disabled persons who are not able to access the online form as they can contact the IRCC Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100 or via email to request for a paper or bill format of the sponsor form.

Not more than 10,000 applications would be processed by the IRCC in 2020 and by 2021, the IRCC plans to accept a total of 30,000 new applications.

Mendicino further disclosed plans by the government to introduce a public policy that will reduce the income requirement for the 2020 tax year by removing the 30% attached to the minimum necessary income. This move is geared towards the alleviation of the financial hardship that most people have been thrown into as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first step in the application process will be the indication of interest by potential sponsors. This will involve filling and submitting the interest to sponsor form.

The next step will be for the IRCC to review all applications on its merit and then based on the result; they can then send an invitation to the sponsors.

The last step will be for the sponsors to send the application within 60 days after receiving the invitation.

Information on the government’s immigration webpage shows that eligible sponsors are Canadian citizens, permanent immigrants as well as First Nations that are registered.

Also, these sponsors must have attained the age of 18 and must be financially buoyant to provide financial support to the people that they intend to sponsor.

In some exceptional cases, some certain classes of people will not be deemed eligible for sponsorship and they are undischarged bankrupt, people indebted to the government and people serving a jail time.

The following persons are eligible for sponsorship under the PGP – Biological and adopted parents and grandparents of all those eligible to sponsor. Also, the siblings or half siblings of the sponsor are eligible provided that they have not gone beyond 22 years of age.