Parent and Grandparents Immigration Sponsorship Program Temporarily Suspended
When someone decides to immigrate to Canada, a common long-term goal is to eventually be reunited with their family in their new country. The reasons can vary from wanting to give them the opportunity to experience a better quality of life to simply having them in closer proximity. Whatever the reason may be, there needs to be an immigration sponsorship program that allows people in Canada to sponsor their family members, including parents and grandparents, to become Canadian permanent residents. For parents and grandparents, there is a specific program which right now is closed and it is not clear when it will be reopened.
History of the Parent and Grandparents Immigration Sponsorship Program
As one of the most popular sponsorship programs to sponsor family members, the parent and grandparents sponsorship program would accept applications once a year. Over the past few years the program has undergone changes to the application process, and none have been considered successful. At first, the program was on a first-come-first-serve basis until many were finding ways to unfairly get to the top of the list. It was then changed to a lottery system that was deemed too random. In 2019, within minutes of accepting online applications to show interest in sponsoring, every spot was filled. These difficulties resulted in the program being temporarily suspended while the government works on a better application process.
Application Eligibility
If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you can submit the ‘interest to sponsor form’, which is a means to inform the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that you are interested in sponsoring a parent and/or a grandparent. If that request is accepted, then you will be invited to submit a complete application that will allow you to sponsor that family member to become a permanent resident of Canada. Before committing to being a sponsor, there are guidelines and responsibilities you need to be aware of. While waiting for updated information on the reopening of this program, it is best to do your research to ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements.
What is Next?
As of right now, there are very few details that have been released. We do know that the immigration sponsorship program is undergoing intake changes, but we have yet to be told what those changes are. A loose timeline of April 1, 2020 has been set by which further instructions relating to the intake management process for the parent and grandparent sponsorship program will be given. You may also stay updated on the program’s status by checking the Government of Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship website.
During this present time, it can be quite distressing to families who were relying on this sponsorship program to reunite with their parents and/or grandparents in Canada. The important thing to keep in mind is that this suspension is only temporarily; the government is actively looking for ways to improve the program for a better experience overall.
If you are hoping to sponsor a parent and/or grandparent, an initial step would be to consult with an immigration lawyer. Even though you are not allowed to start the application process yet, you can ask whatever preliminary questions you may have about the process, and ensure that everything is in order by the time the immigration sponsorship program for parents and grandparents reopens. This is one way to work through the situation and lessen the possibility of problems arising during your application process.
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