Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched a new round of invitations under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) for 2021. A total of 30,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents are being invited to sponsor their parents and grandparents for immigration to Canada. The invitations are being sent out over a two-week period from now until October 7.
Those invited through this lottery system were selected from a pool of potential sponsors who had submitted interest forms between October and November 2020. While 10,000 applicants were invited in a first round in January 2021, this current draw is extending invitations to an additional 30,000 individuals from the same pool.
Eligible sponsors who receive an invitation have 60 days to prepare and submit a complete sponsorship application to IRCC. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must be Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or registered as status First Nations. They must also meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) thresholds for the 2020, 2019, and 2018 tax years, verified using notices of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Quebec residents must meet the province’s distinct income requirements for the past 12 months. Additionally, both IRCC and the Quebec government require sponsors to sign a legal undertaking to provide financial support and repay any social assistance received by their parents or grandparents during the undertaking period—20 years for residents outside Quebec and 10 years for Quebec residents.
The subject line of the official invitation email from IRCC reads, “Parents and Grandparents Program Invitation / L’invitation à présenter une demande dans le cadre du Programme des parents et des grands-parents – CPCM / CTDM” and is sent from the following email address: CIC.CPCMississaugaDoNotReply-CTDMississaugaNePasRepondre.CIC@cic.gc.ca.
Gaining a spot in the PGP is considered highly competitive due to overwhelming demand. In previous years, IRCC has received upwards of 100,000 interest-to-sponsor submissions within minutes of opening the process.
Successful applicants under the PGP will see their sponsored parents and grandparents gain Canadian permanent resident status, along with access to public healthcare and other benefits.
IRCC has yet to outline how the PGP will operate in 2022, leaving many hopeful sponsors eagerly awaiting further announcements. Maple News will continue to monitor policy developments and provide timely updates.