Immigration to Issue Invitations to Apply Under Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program

Sponsors Being Invited to Sponsor their Parents and Grandparents

As of mid-March 2018, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has began sending out invitations to Sponsors in order for them to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents through the parents and grandparents sponsorship program. This is hopeful news for sponsors as there was a limited capacity for the amount of invitation and applications accepted under this program. Thankfully, sponsors have 60 days from the date of initial invitation to submit their complete application. In this article, I will address the details of Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program and how it works as well as the invitations that are being sent to sponsors.

What is the Parent or Grandparent Sponsorship Program

The government of Canada highly enforces and values family reunification. Therefore, the Family Class sponsorship category, which encompasses the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program, is dealt with high priority. Through the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program, a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada has the chance of sponsoring their parent(s) and/or grandparent(s) to obtain permanent residency status in Canada and permanently reunite together. The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program is an excellent way for Canadians to become reunited with their parents and/or grandparents in Canada permanently.

Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program Eligibility Requirements

The most important part of applying for any immigration application is to ensure that you are eligible. This is especially the case for the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program as there are many different aspects and factors to the eligibility requirements. In addition to the eligibility requirements, the sponsor of the parent(s) or grandparent(s) must understand that there are several responsibilities that come with sponsoring their family members.

Therefore, in order to successfully sponsor your parent(s) or grandparent(s) to immigrate to Canada, you, as the sponsor, must:

• Be 18 years old or older
• Physically reside in Canada
• Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian
• Be sponsoring a member of the Family Class – specifically, parent(s) or grandparent(s)
• Sign an undertaking committing to provide basic needs to your parent(s) or grandparent(s)
• Meet the Low Income Cut Off (LICO)

Low Income Cut Off (LICO) Requirements

Specifically for the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program, it is very important to meet the LICO requirements. For your reference, I have included the Federal Income Table for Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship from 2017, 2016 & 2015 below.

In order to adequately meet the Minimum Necessary Income, the sponsor must meet this necessary income for each of the three consecutive years prior to the date of the application being submitted. To be clear, the Minimum Necessary Income requirement is equal to the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30%. If you are applying in 2018, you must provide your Notice of Assessment from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the previous 3 years (2017, 2016 & 2015).

New Features of Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program

As of 2017, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had made it mandatory for sponsors to complete an “Interest to Sponsor” form in order to potentially receive an invitation to apply for the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship program. After this, IRCC had accepted forms from sponsors between January 2, 2018 and February 1, 2018. They then randomly chose candidates that applied during this period. As of right now, IRCC is inviting potential sponsors to apply under the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship program. IRCC is communicating with these potential sponsors via email. As a result, it is highly encouraged for potential sponsors that have submitted an Invitation to Sponsor form, to continuously check their inbox and junk mail box to see if IRCC has attempted to contact them.

This new feature now assists potential sponsors to identify their assigned confirmation number and then compare it with the list of published invitees. In other words, this allows potential sponsors to find out whether they have been invited to submit an application and begin the application process prior to receiving an email from IRCC. This works as an advantage as they only have 60 days to submit the application.

It is important to note that potential sponsors that have either lost or forgotten their unique confirmation number that was issued when they submitted their Interest to Sponsor form can now complete a brand new online form to eventually find out whether they were invited to apply. The results will usually be provided to potential sponsors within 10 business days. Therefore, it is best to be patient and wait the entire 10 business days before attempting to reach out again.

Contact Akrami & Associates

It is essential that you have a family member, specifically a parent or grandparent, outside of Canada before submitting an ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form. It is also essential that you be either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or a Registered Indian prior to submitting this form. These types of sponsorship applications are difficult to complete on your own; therefore, it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to submit your Interest to Sponsor form. Here, at Akrami & Associates, we work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients’ parents and grandparents obtain permanent residency in Canada and become reunited with their families. If you believe that you might be eligible, please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at our office at 416-477-2545 for more information or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advice.

With Akrami & Associates, there is always a way!