It’s not uncommon for people who immigrate to Canada as permanent residents, or for Canadian citizens, to want to sponsor their relatives to come to Canada as well. Many of these relatives include parents and grandparents, who are very important components of family for many people.
Sponsoring Parents and Grandparents to Canada
Canada’s family reunification program allows for permanent residents and Canadian citizens to sponsor parents and grandparents to be brought to Canada as permanent residents themselves. The program was suspended a while ago because of a huge application backlog, but the government of Canada has announced that it will begin accepting applications for the program again on January 2nd, 2014.
Changes to the Parent and Grandparent Program
Permanent residents and Canadian citizens are welcome to apply to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada, but there will be some changes to the program that may cause some people to be ineligible to be sponsors.
Anyone who sponsors anyone else to come to Canada must be able to provide for them financially and the government will need to see proof that the sponsors will support the people they bring over. Now with the parent and grandparent program, sponsors will have to demonstrate that they earn 30% more income than they did previously to meet the threshold to be considered eligible to be sponsors.
Previously, applicants for sponsorship had to demonstrate that they could support their relatives for 10 years, and now they will have to demonstrate that they can support them for 20 years.
In addition, only 5,000 applications will be accepted when the program re-opens in January because the government is still busy trying to process the old backlog.
Do You Want to Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents to Canada?
VisaPlace can help you! Because of the small amount of applications being accepted next year, it’s vital that you speak with a licensed immigration lawyer. The VisaPlace Group of Lawyers (VPGs) and their staff are all independent, licensed practitioners who understand how important it is for to you to achieve your immigration goals and have been trained to follow best practices and procedures to maximize your chances of success! Contact us to book a consultation.
UPDATE: The above is an archived article. Learn more about the newest information regarding the Super Visa.
President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
