January 5, 2021 Update: The IRCC has begun and will continue to issue invitations for the Parent and Grandparents Program throughout the next 10 days. They will process up to 10,000 applications this round following the delay in the 2020 program due to COVID-19.
Dec 18, 2020 Update: The IRCC has decided to delay its Parent and Grandparents Program lottery until early 2021. It was originally going to take place by the end of December 2020 but a few different factors are causing a delay. While announcing this delay, the IRCC noted that they are expecting to hold this lottery now in January or February 2021, so stay tuned!
Sponsoring your relative through the parent and grandparent program has been a popular route for many foreign nationals. Canada believes that immigrants and their families should be together in Canada which is why they pride themselves on family reunification.
The program has been closed on multiple accounts due to how many applicants were filing. Those interested in January 28th, 2019 were only given a small window to get their application in before it was closed and maxed out within 11 minutes.
Luckily, Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced that the Parent and Grandparent Program is coming back October 13th, 2020, but with some changes!
Parent and Grandparent Lottery
This new lottery was open from October 13th to November 3rd, 2020 (3-weeks) so those needed to act fast! Potential sponsors will be selected at the random among a pool of applicants and will be formally invited to sponsor their family but only 10,000 applicants will be accepted this year.
As some people are not happy with the program turning into a lottery, the good news is that the government will be temporarily reducing how much income an individual must earn to be a qualified sponsor. This was due to an understanding that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many families.
How to Enter the Lottery
The first step to sponsoring your parent or grandparent through the lottery will be to submit your 2020 interest to sponsor form. This form was posted on the Canadian Government site between Oct 13 and Nov 3.
How to Fill Out the Form
The applicant sponsoring their family is the one that needs to complete the sponsor interest form. You will be able to go back into your form to update your information in case you made a mistake. The information on your interest form must correlate with the information you provided within your application. After you’ve submitted your interest form, you will receive a confirmation number that you cannot give away.
After You’ve Submitted Your Interest Form
After you have submitted your interest form, you will want to write down your confirmation number and copiously check your email for an invitation to apply. The invitations will be sent out once officials have reviewed submissions and deleted duplicate forms.
Tips for when you are waiting for your invitation:
- check the email you used on your interest form
- check your junk mail or spam folder
- let officials know if your email address has changed
If You Are Invited to Apply
If you are invited to apply for sponsorship, you will need to submit your sponsorship application within 60 days (deadline will be on your invitation). If you mail your application and it is after the deadline, your application will be returned to you and you won’t be able to apply for or receive another invitation.
If You Are NOT Invited to Apply
Don’t get too down! Your parent or grandparent may be eligible to apply for a Super Visa which would allow them to stay in Canada for up to 2 years at a time and apply to extend their stay by up to 1 year at a time.
Looking For Help With Your Application?
There is no telling exactly when the next time the parent and grandparent program will come back again and will be accepting new applications so you don’t want to miss this opportunity! It’s important to be completely prepared in case you are randomly selected out of the lottery. It’s highly recommended to speak with an immigration professional as immigration officials tend to be picky when it comes to draws!
Contact VisaPlace today. All our cases are handled by competent and experienced immigration professionals who are affiliated with VisaPlace. These professionals consist of lawyers, licensed paralegals, and consultants who work for VisaPlace Legal an award-winning immigration firm that adheres to the highest standards of client service.
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VisaPlace Immigration News Contributor
Sierra
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