Dear Mr Brown,

Please guide me about the current situation for sponsoring parents to migrate to Canada. I am ready to do so now but was told there is currently a backlog.

– UJ

Dear UJ,

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made a recent announcement pertaining to the Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP), which deals with Canadian citizens and permanent residents applying for family class sponsorship of their parents and grandparents.

This year the PGP will accept up to 15,000 complete applications for sponsorship. Accordingly, on October 10 IRCC will begin sending invitations to apply (ITA) to 24,200 interested potential sponsors with the goal of receiving the 15,000 complete applications.

Due to the number of forms still remaining in the pool of submissions from 2020, ITAs will be sent to randomly selected potential sponsors from the 2020 pool who submitted an Interest to Sponsor form but did not receive an ITA in 2020, 2021, or 2022, rather than opening a new interest to sponsor form.

Eligibility

To be eligible the 2023 PGP sponsors must:

• Complete an Interest to Sponsor form on IRCC’s website in 2020

• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act

• Be 18 years of age or older

• Residing in Canada

• Provide proof of exceeding the minimum necessary income level for this programme (which may include the income of the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner) by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their application

• Sign an undertaking to financially support the sponsored for 20 years (starting when they become permanent residents); repay any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members (if applicable) for a period of 20 years and/or if the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional undertaking must be signed with the province of Quebec.

Individuals are not eligible to sponsor a parent and/or grandparent if they:

• Are in jail, prison, or the penitentiary

• Did not repay: an immigration loan, a performance bond, court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support

• Did not give the financial support agreed to when signing a sponsorship agreement to sponsor a relative in the past

• Declared bankruptcy and are not discharged

• Receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability

• Was convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative, or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada

• Cannot legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because they received a removal order.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA.COM for additional information on Canadian permanent residence programmes including Express Entry, the Study & Work programme, visas or appeals, etc.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM — a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston, and AfriCanadaServices.com in Abuja, Nigeria. Send questions/comments to documents.jamaica2canada@gmail.com