Against the odds, given IRCC’s current backlogs, the program for sponsorship of parents and grandparents has now opened until the deadline of November 3, 2020.
Unlike the first-come, first-served system of 2019, parent and grandparent sponsorship will be reverting to the form of the pool and lottery system used in 2018 and 2017.
Keep in mind for sponsoring your parents:
- Parental and Grandparental sponsorship applications are allowed to have a co-signer – if you do not meet the income requirements on your own (below) then your spouse or partner can help
- Between you and your spouse, you must have 3 years of Canadian tax filings between you, even if you were not permanent residents for that entire time
Here’s how the process works for sponsoring your parents or grandparents for PR this year:
- Eligible applicants will be able to enter the pool with an Expression of Interest
- The expressions will be accepted up to 12pm on November 3, 2020
- To ensure fairness and equal opportunity, the IRCC will conduct a lottery to select 10,000 applicants out of the pool, who will be invited to formally apply to sponsor their parents or grandparents.
- This number is lower this year due to covid, however next year IRCC will allow 30,000 applications to be submitted.
- Selected applicants will have 60 days to submit their PR applications
The main requirements to sponsor your parents or grandparents are:
- you’re at least 18 years old
- you live in Canada
- you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- you have sufficient funds to support the persons you wish to sponsor:
Income required for the 3 tax years right before the day you apply (sponsors applying in 2021)
| Total number of people you’ll be responsible for | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | $32,899 | $41,007 | $40,379 |
| 3 people | $40,445 | $50,414 | $49,641 |
| 4 people | $49,106 | $61,209 | $60,271 |
| 5 people | $55,695 | $69,423 | 68,358 |
| 6 people | $62,814 | $78,296 | $77,095 |
| 7 people | $69,935 | $87,172 | $85,835 |
| If more than 7 people, for each additional person, add: | $7,121 | $8,876 | $8,740 |
The total number of people you need to include in your calculations will encompass:
- yourself
- your spouse or partner if you have one
- your children
- your parent(s)
- your siblings if they are under 22 years old
Contact us to discuss your prospects to enter the pool to sponsor your parents or grandparents under this program this year.
