The Much Awaited Parents and Grandparents Program 2020 Is Now Open

Have you been waiting all these days to sponsor your parents and grandparents to come to Canada and stay with you permanently? Well, now is the perfect time to fulfill your wish. Canada has officially opened their Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2020. You can start your online application process to sponsor your senior family members to immigrate to the country.

The expression of interest period for the PGP starts from October 13^th, 2020, and will last for three weeks ending on November 3^rd, 2020.

This program will allow qualified Canadian permanent residents and citizens to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to stay in Canada permanently. Those with First Nations status are also eligible for the program. IRCC has a set target of completing 10,000 PGP applications for 2020.

Application Process

1. First of all, those interested will have to submit an online sponsorship interest form during the ongoing submission period to be eligible for an invitation to apply to the program. The last date to complete the form is November 3^rd, 2020.
2. After completing the first step, applicants will have to wait to see whether they fall into the group of 10,000 applications. IRCC will randomly draw the names of these 10,000 applicants to receive an invitation to apply.
3. Upon receiving an invitation to apply, applicants will have to pay the application fees and submit a completed sponsorship application form within 60 days.
4. After successful submission, you will receive an application package. This will include forms that you and those you wish to sponsor need to fill, along with a document checklist and an instruction guide.
5. If you apply from Quebec, you will have to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate from the Quebec government. You need to submit this certificate to IRCC as a part of the application.

How to Submit the Interest to Sponsor Form?

• If you wish to sponsor, you will have to fill up the interest to sponsor form. You need to keep a digital copy of your proof of status in Canada and your passport with you.
• You will have to provide some information in the interest to sponsor form, like the number of family members, number of family members you wish you sponsor, and the names and birthdays of those you wish to sponsor.
• After submission of the form, you will receive a confirmation number on the screen. You need to keep this number safe so that you can easily find out whether you receive an invitation to apply.

Eligibility Criteria to Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents

Anybody above 18 years of age, Canadian permanent resident or citizen is eligible to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

All applicants to the PGP will have to give their proof of income confirming that it is sufficient for supporting the number of family members that wish to sponsor financially.

Applicants need not provide their proof of income in the first step of the application process for the expression of interest. However, all recipients of the invitation to apply, along with their co-signers (if needed), will have to provide Canada Revenue Agency assessment notices for each of the three taxation years immediately preceding their corresponding application date.

IRCC states that for 2020, 2019, and 2018 taxation years, sponsors will have to fulfill income requirements. IRCC realizes that by then sponsors may not have received their 2020 Notice of Assessment. Thus, sponsors will have to submit it when they obtain it.

The below table shows the minimum necessary income. This is applicable to all provinces except Quebec.

The total number of people you (as the sponsor) will be financially responsible for will include:

1. Yourself.
2. Your common-law partner or your spouse.
3. Your dependent children.
4. Your partner’s or spouse’s dependent children.
5. Any person you may have sponsored in the past for whom you are still financially responsible.
6. Your parents or grandparents whom you wish to sponsor along with their dependents, including dependent children, spouse, or partner.
7. Any dependent children who refuse to come to Canada with their grandparents or parents.
8. The partner or spouse of your grandparents or parents, even if they refuse to come to Canada.
9. Separated spouse of your parents or grandparents.

Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration will assess the income of all the interested sponsors from the province. This assessment will be based upon the income requirements of Quebec. The income requirements of Quebec are different compared to other provinces. Sponsors and their co-signers (if needed) will have to prove that they have sufficient financial means in the past 12 months.

Minimum income requirements in Quebec are shown hereunder.

Irrespective of whichever province you are from, all the interested sponsors need to submit a signed undertaking. This will show the duration a sponsor will remain financially responsible for the family members whom he wishes to sponsor.

Sponsors from outside Quebec have to sponsor their parents and grandparents for 20 years. However, those from Quebec will have to sponsor for 10 years.

Contact us for professional assistance in the application for the PGP.