Canada to accept a record number of applications for the Parents and Grandparents Program
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Canada’s Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program is unique in the world. It gives families the chance to reunite here, providing them the opportunity to thrive in this country. Family reunification plays a significant role in attracting, retaining and integrating immigrants who contribute to the country’s success.
Building on the success of the PGP Program in recent years, Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), will invite a record number of people to apply under the 2021 intake of the Program. IRCC will accept up to 30,000 additional applications, giving more Canadians and permanent residents than ever before the opportunity to bring their loved ones to Canada.
Using the same random selection process as used in previous years, IRCC will send invitations to potential sponsors who have already submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020. This will give additional interested sponsors the opportunity to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada. Invitations to apply will be sent over the course of two weeks, starting the week of September 20, 2021.
Those invited to apply as part of this process will be able to use IRCC’s new Permanent Resident Digital Intake tool, which allows applications to be submitted electronically. This is part of the commitment to modernize Canada’s immigration system, and will speed up and simplify the application process.
Many Canadian families have experienced financial difficulties in the last year because of the pandemic. For this reason, IRCC will continue to implement a more facilitative income requirement to ensure that more people can apply.
For the 2020 tax year, the income requirement will continue to be the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30 per cent, and will allow regular Employment Insurance benefits and temporary COVID-19 benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, to be included towards the sponsor’s income. This measure will ensure that applicants are not penalized for losing income during the pandemic.
“The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic,” said Mendicino. “That is why we are delivering on our commitment to help more families reunite in Canada. By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Program, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together.”
A few quick facts:
• IRCC aims to receive up to 40,000 complete applications in 2021 – 10,000 from the 2020 intake process and 30,000 from 2021.
• IRCC invites more people to apply than the number of applications it aims to receive because not all sponsors who are invited to apply submit an application.
• Those not invited to apply may consider applying for a super visa, which would allow a parent or grandparent to visit them in Canada for up to two years at a time, without the need to renew their status. A super visa allows multiple entries for up to 10 years.
• Invitations will be sent over the course of two weeks, starting the week of September 20, 2021. Those who are invited to apply will have 60 days to submit the application.
• In order to confirm whether they’ve been selected, potential sponsors should check the email account they used to submit their 2020 interest to sponsor form. They will also be able to check their status online using their 2020 confirmation number. Further details will be posted on the IRCC website for those who no longer have access to their email account.
• Misplaced confirmation numbers can be retrieved using the Lost My Confirmation Number tool, which will be available online once all the invitations have been sent.
• Selected potential sponsors will have their income assessed for tax years 2020, 2019 and 2018. This is the same as those who applied as part of the 2020 intake.