PARENT & GRANDPARENT CLASS 2019

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced plans to re-open the parent and grandparent program of the family class sponsorship in January of 2019.

According to IRCC, family reunification is a top priority for the Government of Canada. As such, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen (Minister of IRCC) announced plans to stop the random selection process for this program and instead utilize a first-in approach.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

In order to sponsor your parent(s) or grandparent(s), you must be at least 18 years old. You must also be a Canadian citizen, a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, or a permanent resident of Canada. You must also be able to support the principal applicant(s) financially, ensure they don’t require social assistance from the government, and provide for your own essential needs and those of your parents/grandparents and their dependents.

HOW TO APPLY

Before submitting your application, there are a number of preliminary steps you must take to determine if you are eligible to apply for this program.

1. Indicate that you want to sponsor your parent(s) or grandparent(s) by submitting an online interest to sponsor form.

2. Monitor your email to see if you receive any communication from the Government of Canada indicating that you were selected to complete an application. If you receive an invitation to apply, you may then begin the application process.

3. Get your application package. This will include a document checklist, forms you need to complete, and a guide with instructions to help you fill out your forms correctly. Be sure to complete all required forms fully and accurately, signing and dating forms as required. a. When you submit your application, you will need to prove that you meet the minimum income requirements. You must also prove that your parents and grandparents will make a reasonable effort to support themselves. b. Be sure to include all required documentation. This includes government identification, proof of relationship to the principal applicant, medical exams, police clearances, and more.

4. Pay your application fees online.

5. You must also pay the right of permanent residence fee before you will be granted permanent resident status.

6. Double-check your application package to ensure you have included all required forms and documents, completed fully and accurately and organized in the correct order. Your application will not be accepted if it is incomplete.

7. Submit your application.

PARENT AND GRANDPARENT SPONSORSHIP DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

It is not only a recommendation to download and adhere to the parent and grandparent sponsorship document checklist but it is also a requirement. This checklist should be the first page in your application package. It lists the required forms in the order they should appear in your final package. You can download the parent and grandparent document checklist from the Government of Canada website.