Family reunion: parents and grandparents are welcome in Canada!

The Canadian PGP immigration program is unique in that it allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor the immigration to Canada of their close relatives: parents and grandparents who are granted permanent residency here. And subsequently, these people can apply for Canadian citizenship as well.

Based on the program's great popularity, Minister Marco El Mendicino announced at a press conference yesterday that Canada is ready to welcome many more people than usual in 2021: the Immigration Department (IRCC) is increasing invitations for potential sponsors of their relatives by another 30,000.

The raffle, in which the invitations will be drawn by random selection, will take place on 20 September 2021. All invitations will then be sent out within two weeks to potential sponsors. Invitees will have 60 days to submit their sponsorship application, which can be done electronically.

The IRCC notes that invitations will only be sent out to potential sponsors who have already declared their sponsorship in the fall of 2020, between October and November, when the PGP application window was open. During this period, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada had the opportunity to complete an online application informing the IRCC that they were interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.

From these applicants, the immigration department has already randomly selected 10,000 sponsors in January this year and announced that another 30,000 applicants will be invited later this year, which will happen after a lottery drawing of applications on September 20.

IRCC strongly encourages applicants to ensure that the information they sent to the IRCC website last fall remains current, including contact information for applicants.

Who is eligible to participate in PGP

Individuals who wish to bring their parents or grandparents to Canada through the PGP program must compliant with the eligibility criteria for the program:

Applicants for PGP sponsorship must be at least 18 years old, have Canadian citizenship, be a permanent resident or have Indigenous status, and have the financial means to support the family member they are sponsoring.

What income sponsors should have

Required Minimum Income (MNI) is a key factor for PGP eligibility.Prospective sponsors must show that they have sufficient income to support all family members for whom they will be financially responsible, including themselves.

In order for the sponsor to prove their compliance with the income requirements, they must attach their "Notice of Assessment" from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the last 3 tax years before applying (2020, 2019 and 2018). The easiest way to verify your income is to allow the IRCC to receive assessment notices directly from the CRA.

Proof of required income should only be provided by the sponsor once they have expressed their interest in sponsorship through the completed online form.

As the IRCC press office notes, becoming an elderly person's sponsor will be a little easier this year: "We know that many Canadian families experienced financial difficulties last year because of the pandemic. For this reason, we will continue to introduce more lenient income requirements for potential sponsors so that more people can apply."

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the IRCC will only assess MNI income for the 2020 tax year and will not assess regular MNI plus 30%. In addition, claimants can count Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) benefits towards their MNI for the 2020 tax year.

Financial confirmation of sponsorship in Quebec

Instead of the 3-year income requirement for the rest of Canada, the province of Quebec requires prospective sponsors to demonstrate that they have had sufficient financial resources to support their family available for the past 12 months.

Persons who wish to sponsor parents and/or grandparents and who still live in Quebec assess their income Ministry of Immigration of Quebec based on the income requirements established in that province.

It's important to know:

(1) Both IRCC and the Quebec government require a signed undertaking from interested sponsors. This commitment establishes how long the sponsor will be financially responsible for the family members they sponsor from the time they become permanent residents of Canada.

The commitment period for parents and grandparents is 20 years for residents of all provinces of Canada except Quebec. For residents of Quebec, the commitment period is 10 years.

2. persons who have not been invited to apply may consider applying for supervisa, which allows a parent or grandparent to visit them in Canada for up to 2 years at a time without having to renew their status. The super visa allows multiple entries for up to 10 years.

3 To confirm if they have been selected, potential sponsors should check the email account they used to submit their 2020 interest to the sponsorship form. They will also be able to check their status online using their 2020 confirmation number. More information will be published on website in the coming weeks for those who no longer have access to their email account.

4. Confirmation numbers can be retrieved using the Lost Confirmation Number tool, which will be available online after all invitations have been sent.

5. Selected potential sponsors will be assessed for their 2020, 2019, and 2018 tax years.