Canada awaits immigrants' parents and grandparents
Reunion invitations will be sent out soon.
On October 11, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that this year it will approve 15,000 applications to sponsor parents and grandparents to move to Canada. The sending of invitations will begin this week and last for two weeks. Canada will send out 23,100 invitations — with plenty to spare to make sure the 15,000 goal is definitely met.
"Family reunification is important to Canadians and plays a key role in our immigration system. We recognize that reuniting parents and grandparents with their families in Canada provides immense contributions to our communities. Parents, their children and their grandchildren want to be together, and our government has made significant progress toward that," commented Canadian MP Sonia Sidhu.
This year's applicant pool will include those who declared their interest in becoming a sponsor back in 2020 but did not receive an invitation in 2021. The process is the same as last time: applications are randomly selected, and the income requirements for sponsors are lowered, since many may have had financial difficulties during the pandemic.
If you applied, be sure to check your email. If you received an invitation, you will need to submit a full sponsorship application on Canada's online portal. If you did not receive an invitation, however, consider a Super Visa, which is given to parents and grandparents for 10 years. This year, the Super Visa program was updated, so that relatives of Canadian citizens and residents can stay longer — up to 5 years continuously instead of 2 years.
