October 23, 2020
Government of Canada Announces Details for Opening of 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program!
In early October, The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced details for the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program, to further build family reunification in Canada. The program opened on 13 October 2020 and remains open until 3 November 2020. During this period, Canadians and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada will be able to submit their interest to sponsor form online.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will then use a lottery system, where applicants will be randomly selected and invited to submit an application for processing. Applicants will then have sixty days to submit their complete application to IRCC.
In the past IRCC has used a first-in system, which left several applicants unable to submit their application on time due to various circumstances, such as literacy issues, disabilities or those living in places with slow internet connections[1].
As many potential sponsors have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC introduced a temporary public policy[2] that will reduce the income requirement for the 2020 tax year to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.
A maximum of 10,000 applications will be accepted for processing as part of the 2020 parent and grandparent intake[3]. In 2021, IRCC will open a new intake of interest to sponsor forms to accept a total of 30,000 new applications.
During these unprecedented times, this announcement comes as a beacon of hope for those feeling the hardships caused by being separated from their loved ones.