On January 11, 2019, Honourable Ahmed Hussen, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), announced that an enhanced Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program "interest to sponsor" form will be available to potential sponsors beginning January 28, 2019 at noon EST. The revisions to the program will address client and stakeholder concerns about the previous intake process.
Using the PGP Program, the IRCC allows Canadians and permanent residents the opportunity to relocate their parents and grandparents to Canada permanently. More opportunities abound this year as the IRCC has increased the annual applications limit to 20,000 – four times the number accepted in 2015. They will accept up to 27,000 interest to sponsor forms, but selecting only 20,000.
The improved intake process will follow a first-come, first-served approach for 2019, thus maintaining fairness for all applicants. Although the sponsorship process remains electronic, other changes have been made, and the IRCC advises that all interested potential sponsors familiarize themselves with the new procedure.
We understand that many of our clients would like to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada, so we’d like to share an overview of the process with you.
PROCESS
First, confirm that you meet the necessary minimum income requirements. This is vital because the Canadian government expects that if you relocate your parents or grandparents, you must support them and their dependants financially for 20 years from when they become permanent residents. You must ensure they do not need social assistance.
Check your eligibility and confirm that you meet the income requirements here. Basic eligibility requirements include that:
you’re at least 18 years old
you live in Canada
you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
you have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor. You’ll need to provide your proof of income for this step.
The person you choose to sponsor must also be eligible. They’ll need to provide all required forms and documents with their application and any additional information the IRCC request during processing, including medical exams, police certificates, and biometrics.
You can’t sponsor the following persons:
your spouse’s parents and grandparents (your in-laws). You can, however, be a co-signer on your in-laws’ application.
someone who is inadmissible to Canada. This means a person who is not allowed to enter Canada.
If you do meet the requirements, you can then submit an "interest to sponsor" form as soon as it becomes available online here. (The interest to sponsor form will be available at noon EST on January 28, 2019. They’ll accept form submissions on a first-in basis. As soon as they receive enough submissions, the form will no longer be available).
Information Required for the Interest to Sponsor Form
Before the interest to sponsor form opens, gather the information you’ll need to provide. This includes making an electronic copy of your proof of status in Canada (new requirement for 2019).
You (the person who wants to sponsor their parents and grandparents), must provide this information on the interest to sponsor form:
your family name(s) (also known as last name, surname) and your given name(s) (also known as first name)
Make sure you write your name exactly as it is written on the proof of status in Canada document you’ll submit.
your date of birth
the country or territory where you were born
your primary residential address (where you live)
You must live in Canada to sponsor.
Make sure you fill out all the fields and provide your complete address.
You’ll have to provide your street number, street name, apartment or unit number (if applicable), P.O. Box (if applicable), your province or territory, and postal code.
For the street number and address, include the street type (street, boulevard, avenue, etc.). For example, follow this format: 123 John St. or 123 John Ave. or 123 John Pl.
your email address that you want us to use to communicate with you
the number of family members in your family unit
the total number of persons you want to sponsor, including their dependants (spouse, partner and children)
names of the parents and grandparents you want to sponsor
You won’t need to provide the names of their dependants.
date of birth of the parents and grandparents you want to sponsor
You won’t need to provide the dates of birth of their dependants.
your proof of status in Canada document number
Find out where to find that number.
Make sure you submit the number of the same document you’ll submit with your application. If the document number doesn’t match, we’ll return your application.
your electronic signature (you must type in your name)
Proof of Status in Canada
The IRCC will accept expired documents, so you don’t need to renew your document to complete the interest to sponsor form or to submit your sponsorship application. But you must use the same document for your interest to sponsor form submission as you’ll submit with your application, if you’re invited to apply. Note that you will upload an electronic copy of your proof of status documents, so scan them and have them stored on your computer.
The following are acceptable proof of status documents:
permanent resident card (scan both sides)
record of landing (IMM 1000) (only if you didn’t get a PR Card)
Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)
Canadian Citizenship Certificate or card (both sides)
Canadian birth certificate
If you were born in Quebec, we’ll only accept a birth certificate from the Directeur de l’État civil.
Canadian passport (pages showing passport number, date of issue and expiration, photo, name, surname, place and date of birth)
Secure certificate of Indian status
Confirmation and Application
After submitting the "interest to sponsor" form, you’ll see a confirmation page with a confirmation number. Keep this number for your records. You’ll also receive a confirmation email. The IRCC will then invite potential sponsors to submit a complete application in the same order they received the "interest to sponsor" forms.
Successful candidates will receive invitations to apply. Announcements will also be posted on the IRCC web page and on their Facebook page.
If you’re invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, you’ll need to complete two applications -- you’ll apply to become a sponsor and your parents or grandparents must apply for permanent residence. Send both the sponsorship and the permanent residence applications together at the same time. You’ll also pay your application fees at this time.
Bear in mind that the application to sponsor your parents or grandparents will cost you between $CAN 550 (if you choose not to pay the right of permanent residence fee) to $CAN 2080 (if you choose to sponsor two (grand)parents -- a (grand)parent and their spouse) or more (if you decide to pay for an additional dependent child ($CAN 150 per child).
After you have applied, processing times may be as long as 20 to 24 months, so you’ll need to be patient.
It will take time to digest what the entire procedure entails, but feel free to refer to this post and this step by step guide on the Immigration website. Best of all, as an immigration consulting service, we’re more than happy to hold your hand through this entire process. You can book a consult with us. Let’s help you bring your loved ones over!
Source : Canada.ca