Family has always been extremely important in the Asian culture, particularly for Filipinos.
That being said, the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship has always been a popular means for a lot of immigrants in Canada, particularly Filipinos, to sponsor and enable our hardworking kababayans get reunited with their families. Back in January 2019, interested sponsors were only given a small window to submit their application with an average time of 11 minutes. Fortunately, Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has just recently revealed that the Parent and Grandparent Program is coming back again this year with relevant changes as to how application for said sponsorship will be submitted.
New Process on 2020 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program
The new process in applying for Parent and Grandparent sponsorship will now be in the form of a raffle draw similar to a lottery, wherein 10,000 applicants will be randomly selected and invited to apply among a pool of all possible sponsors. The program has been opened last October 13th and will run until 12PM EST on November 3rd, 2020. After the cut-off date, submitted forms will be reviewed by IRCC and potential sponsors will be randomly selected from the pool. Those who will be invited will receive an e-mail to submit an application.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S):
How Do I Enter the Raffle Draw for the 2020 Parent and Grandparents Sponsorship Program?
The first step to join the parent and grandparent sponsorship program for this year is to submit your 2020 Interest to Sponsor form. This form will be available on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website between October 13 to November 3, 2020. The individual or potential sponsor interested in sponsoring their family is the one who should fill out, complete, and submits the Interest to Sponsor form.
What is an Interest to Sponsor Form?
Keep in mind that the Interest to Sponsor form is NOT the application form for sponsorship. It is just a way to notify IRCC that you are interested in sponsoring your parents or grandparents. If ever you realized you made a mistake in the form after submission, do not resend or submit a new one as it will be considered a duplicate, which will then be removed from the system. You will have the opportunity to provide your updated information once you are invited to apply and submit the application for sponsorship. You may provide a letter and proof to explain the changes between the intent to sponsor form and the application form. You will receive a confirmation number after successfully submitting your Interest to the sponsor form. Kindly keep this number for your records.
How will I know if I am eligible to sponsor?
You are eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you meet the criteria provided by IRCC:
- You are at least 18 years old at the time of application
- You are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, and living in Canada
- You have sufficient income over the last three years (2020, 2019 and 2018) based on the Income required by the government to support the persons you want to sponsor, including all your family members living with you in Canada and yourself. Since a lot of potential sponsors have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 tax year has been reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%. This does not affect though the required income for tax years 2019 and 2018. If you are currently living in Quebec, the Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.
What Are the Next Steps if I am Invited to Apply?
If you are invited to apply for parent and grandparent sponsorship, you will need to submit your sponsorship application within 60 days (the deadline date will be indicated on your invitation). Invited applicants will also need to pay the appropriate application fees to IRCC. Your application will be returned to you if you submit your application after the given deadline and you will be unable to re-apply or receive another invitation.
You need to take note that all eligible sponsors are required to submit a signed undertaking to IRCC, and if you are in Quebec, it needs to be submitted with the provincial government. An undertaking is a legal contract that binds you as a guarantor to the person/s you are sponsoring, which means that you will be financially responsible for your sponsored family members and that they should not claim any social assistance from the government. The undertaking period across Canada is for 20 years, except for Quebec, which is 10 years.
What If I Did NOT Receive an Invitation to Apply?
If in case you did not receive an invitation to apply, do not lose hope! Your parent/s or grandparent/s may be eligible to apply for a Super Visa instead, which will permit them to stay in Canada for up to 2 years at a time, and they may also extend their stay by up to 1 year as needed.
How JCA LAW Can Help You
There is no assurance as to when IRCC will be opening the next parent and grandparent sponsorship program, so it is better to ensure that you are doing all the necessary steps and providing all the right information. Our approachable and knowledgeable immigration lawyers and licensed immigration consultant here at JCA LAW OFFICE can help and guide you every step of the way. You may visit our Toronto location at 168B Eglinton Ave. East, ON (street-level), a few steps away from the Philippine Consulate Building, nearest intersection is Redpath Ave. and Eglinton Ave. East. Our office hours is from Monday to Friday, 9AM – 6PM, Saturdays strictly by appointment. You may also give us a call at 1-855-522-5290 or send us a message on our Facebook Page.
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