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CANADA: Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program

Feb 10, 2020 | Global

The number of overall planned permanent admissions to Canada for 2020 is 340,000 people (just under one percent of the population of Canada). Of the 340,000 Canada is planning to admit, 21,000 are in the parent and grandparent sponsorship category.

On December 30, 2019, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the parent/grandparent sponsorship program would not be opening in January 2020: “To ensure that [IRCC] has sufficient time to complete the development of a new intake process for the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program, the reopening of the program will be postponed until Ministerial Instructions are issued.” It was also announced that the expression of interest to sponsor a parent/grandparent that will be launched in 2020 will give a fair chance to all interested sponsors.

In 2019, IRCC was criticized as the expression of interest to sponsor filled up within seven minutes of its January 28, 2019, opening. It is anticipated that the 2020 expression of interest to sponsor a parent/grandparent will be on a lottery basis (with possible weight/advantage given to those who have previously attempted to sponsor a parent/grandparent).

Until the new intake management process is implemented, IRCC will not accept any new applications. This will ensure that all interested sponsors have the same opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form, and a fair chance to be invited to apply.

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