On September 23, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that they are now sending invitations to apply for Permanent Residency (PR) to 30,000 applicants under the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program. This represents the largest ever intake under the program, and highlights the Canadian government's commitment to family reunification. Invitations will be sent over the course of two weeks.
The invitations currently being sent are for those who applied to the program in the fall of 2020. At that time, a window of opportunity was available to those who are interested in sponsoring a parent or grandparent to submit an expression of interest. The invitations that are being sent now are going to those who were in that pool of applicants, and the selected applicants will now receive emails from the IRCC with the invitations to apply.
The invitations to apply will be valid for 60 days, so if you are expecting to receive an invitation, make sure you check your email regularly so that you can take action within that timeframe. Applications must be done online through the IRCC’s new Permanent Residence Portal. There is an exception for applicants who are unable to submit online applications due to accessibility reasons, in which case a paper application will be accepted instead. You can find the details in the "Sponsor your parents and grandparents: How to apply" link below in the references.
In case an applicant has lost their confirmation number or no longer has access to the original email address used when they submitted their expression of interest, the IRCC will provide an online form that will allow them to retrieve this information. This form is not online yet, and will only be available after all invitations to apply have been sent out.
The PGP program has a minimum income requirement, which is required to prove that the sponsor can financially support the parent or grandparent they are intending to bring to Canada. In order to avoid penalizing applicants whose employment was disrupted and whose income was impacted in 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 tax year will be the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%. Also, Employment Insurance (EI) and COVID19 benefits will be included in calculating the sponsor's income.
As a reminder, those were do not receive an invitation to apply can consider the "super visa", which is a multiple entry visa valid for up to 10 years. It's available for parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to 2 years at a time, without needing to renew their status. While the super visa does not lead to permanent residency, it is a great option to facilitate travel to Canada and longer stays to allow parents and grandparents to spend more time with family in Canada. Details on the super visa and how to apply can be found in the "Super visa (for parents and grandparents): Who can apply" link in the references section below.
If you have questions about sponsorship of your parents and/or grandparents, or would like to learn more about Canadian permanent residency or visas, please connect with us to discuss your case. We offer competitive rates for Canadian immigration consultations, including study permits, temporary resident visas (TRV), work permits, Post-Graduate Work Permits (PGWP), Permanent residency (PR), and more.
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