On October 11, 2022, the Government of Canada announced that over the next two weeks Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be sending invitations to apply to 23,100 interested potential sponsors through the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program. The IRCC plans on accepting up to 15,000 complete applications for parental sponsorship this year.
The potential sponsors will be randomly selected from the remaining interest to sponsor forms in the pool of submissions from 2020. All potential sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 but did not receive an invitation to apply in 2021, are encouraged to check the email account they provided when they submitted their interest.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the financial strain for many Canadian families, the IRCC will use a lower income requirement for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents for the 2020 and 2021 tax years. Sponsors would just have to meet the minimum necessary income and can also include Employment Insurance benefits and temporary COVID-19 benefits (such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit) toward their income.
If you have not been invited to apply this year, families across Canada can still apply for a super visa for their parents and grandparents. The super visa is valid for 10 years for multiple entries into Canada. Enhancements to the super visa implemented in July of 2022, allow holders to stay in Canada for up to 5 years per entry, with the option to extend their visit by up to 2 years at a time.
How We Can Help
The Immigration Law Firm of Matthew Jeffery specializes in family sponsorship. Fill out our FREE ASSESSMENT form to see if you and your relative are qualified for Family Sponsorship. You can also contact us for further information.
