The Immigration Department of Canada will release the details of 2019 Parents and Grandparents Program soon, it has been informed. Canada has replaced the lottery system introduced in 2017 with the first-come, first-served process for the Program. In 2019, the country is planning to accept 20000 applications through the Parents and Grandparents Program. The application target for 2018 was 17000. As per the Immigration Levels Plan of Canada released in October 2018, target of parent and grandparent admissions in 2019 is 20,500. The target for 2020 and 2021 is 21,000.
Replacing the lottery system
The lottery system for Parents and Grandparents Program was introduced in 2017. Under system, the candidates were selected randomly from those who submitted an interest to sponsor. However, the system invited large-scale criticism as families complained that there was no way for them to know if they would ever be selected under the system. Though IRCC officials and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen defended the system in the beginning, they have now realized that it did not solve the problems as expected.
Parents and Grandparents Program
Canada considers family reunification as a top priority and the Parents and Grandparents Program is highly popular among Canadian citizens and permanent residents. In order to apply for PGP, the sponsors must first submit a complete ‘interest to sponsor’ form. The selected candidates will be invited to apply for Canada visa under PGP. They can submit the application within 90 days. The sponsors must meet certain criteria to be eligible to sponsor their parents or grandparents. These include meeting minimum income requirements and submitting a signed undertaking to financially support the parent or grandparent whom they are sponsoring.
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