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Canada announces details of the Parents and Grandparents Program for the year 2021

Syed Khan July 25, 2021

On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) announced a record number of 30,000 applications for the 2021 intake of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) using a lottery system. The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada. Parents and grandparents who are approved under this program are granted permanent residence and may later apply for Canadian citizenship.

This historic lottery will take place from September 20-27, and invitations will be sent over the course of two weeks. Those who expressed an interest to sponsor in 2020, but were not invited to apply, may be considered in the upcoming PGP 2021 lottery draw. Those invited will have 60 days to submit their sponsorship applications to the Canadian government.

Key Points:

  • IRCC aims to receive up to 40,000 complete applications in 2021—10,000 from the 2020 intake process and 30,000 from 2021.
  • IRCC invites more people to apply than the number of applications it aims to receive because not all sponsors who are invited to apply to submit an application.
  • Individuals who wish to bring their parents or grandparents to Canada under the sought-after PGP need to meet the program’s eligibility criteria.
  • PGP sponsorship applicants must be 18 years of age or older, Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or status First Nations and have the means to support the family member they are sponsoring.
  • Selected potential sponsors will have their income assessed for tax years 2020, 2019, and 2018.
  • Sponsors must also prove that they have sufficient income to support all family members for whom they will be financially responsible, including themselves, once they become sponsors.
  • Applicants are encouraged to check how much money they will need to support the number of people for whom they will be financially responsible before submitting an application to the PGP.
  • In order to confirm whether they’ve been selected, potential sponsors should check the email account they used to submit their 2020 interest to sponsor form. They will also be able to check their status online using their 2020 confirmation number.
  • Misplaced confirmation numbers can be retrieved using the Lost My Confirmation Number tool, which will be available online once all the invitations have been sent.
  • Those not invited to apply may consider applying for a super visa, which would allow a parent or grandparent to visit them in Canada for up to two years at a time, without the need to renew their status. A super visa allows multiple entries for up to 10 years.
  • Sponsors residing outside of the Canadian province of Quebec who are invited to apply and their co-signers (if applicable) will have to provide Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for each of the three aforementioned taxation years.

What is the MNI?

Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) is a key eligibility factor for the PGP. IRCC will assess each sponsor’s MNI for 2020, 2019, and 2018 tax years. This proof of necessary income is only to be provided after interest in sponsorship has been expressed via the online form. However, applicants who are selected and invited to apply but do not meet the MNI requirement will see their application refused.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, IRCC will assess your MNI only for the 2020 tax year, but it will not assess the usual MNI plus 30 percent. In addition, applicants can count Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) towards their MNI for the 2020 tax year.

Details of the undertaking to be signed:

The IRCC requires a signed undertaking from interested sponsors. This undertaking dictates how long the sponsor will be financially responsible for the family members they are sponsoring from the time they become permanent residents of Canada.

The length of the undertaking for parents and grandparents is 20 years for residents of all Canadian provinces except Quebec.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada's No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

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