January 14, 2014

New Requirements for Sponsors of Parents & Grandparents

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Posted by Mario Bellissimo - Bellissimo Law Group PC

Citizenship and Immigration Canada reopened the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program on January 2, and will be accepting 5,000 applications in 2014. The government introduced a temporary pause in 2011 on new sponsorship applications for up to 24 months to deal with the massive backlog and wait times.

The sponsor of relatives hoping to immigrate to Canada must now meet the new requirements to be eligible to apply, including:

  • The sponsor must sign a sponsorship agreement in which they commit to provide for the basic needs (food, clothing and shelter) of their relative for a period of 20 years.
  • The sponsor must meet the minimum necessary income plus 30% (MNI + 30%). This is calculated based on the number of persons the sponsor is supporting and would be supporting.
  • The sponsor and co-signer (if applicable) must demonstrate that for the three consecutive taxation years preceding the date of their application, their income is equal or greater than the annual MNI plus 30%.
  • Evidence of income is limited exclusively to documents issued by Canada Revenue Agency (Notice of Assessment or Option C print out)

The main objective of the new regulations is to increase the efficiency of the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program and decrease the likelihood of future backlogs and lengthy wait times.

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