Canada will reopen its Parents and Grandparents Program on January 28. Popularly known as the PGP, the program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents above the age of 18 years to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), up to 20,000 PGP applications will be processed in 2019.
Canada Parents and Grandparents Program: Application Process
The first step in applying for Canada Parents and Grandparents Program is submitting a completed Interest to Sponsor form online. The form will be available from noon Eastern Standard Time on January 28. IRCC will process these forms and issue Invitations to Apply to those 20,000 eligible applicants who submitted their completed applications first.
IRCC introduced the first-come, first-served system for accepting applications for Canada Parents and Grandparents Program after replacing the lottery system. The lottery system, which was introduced last year, was scrapped as it invited a lot of criticism. Those who opposed the lottery system argued that it was unfair to those who had been waiting for years to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents.
Canada Parents and Grandparents Program: Application Process
Before submitting the Interest to Sponsor form for Canada Parents and Grandparents Program, the applicants must check whether they meet the eligibility requirements to become a sponsor, including the threshold for Minimum Necessary Income. While submitting their Interest to Sponsor form, they must also upload a copy of the Status in Canada document. All those who submitted the Interest to Sponsor form will be notified whether they have been invited or not. The invited applicants can submit a completed application along with all the required documents within 60 days.
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