Parents/Grandparents Sponsorship for Canada

Parents and Grandparents Program Overview

Children and grandchildren who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents for Canadian permanent residence should start the process as soon as they become eligible. The Parents and Grandparents Program has a cap and opens once a year, allowing interested candidates to participate in a random selection process until the cap is reached. Those not invited in a particular year can wait for the next year's draw and continue to do so until they are invited. For some, this process may be lengthy; as an interim solution, they can apply for a Super Visa, which allows their parents to stay with them in Canada.

Parents/Grandparents Sponsorship: Eligibility Requirements

• ‍Sponsor: Sponsors must be at least 18 years old, Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or registered Indians in Canada. They must live in Canada and meet the income requirement to sponsor their parents and grandparents. Certain conditions would make an individual ineligible to sponsor, such as failure to pay family support payments, an immigration loan, or a performance bond, failure to provide financial support for the basic needs of a previously-sponsored relative, if this relative received social assistance, is under a removal order, is incarcerated, receives social assistance for a reason other than a disability, or is an undischarged bankrupt.‍
• Relationship: The program is for parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.‍
• Sponsored Persons: Sponsors can sponsor their parents and grandparents with whom they have a genuine relationship. Parents can include their dependent children in the application for permanent residence. Sponsored persons must also be admissible to Canada, i.e., in good health, financially stable, and clear on security grounds.

Parents/Grandparents Sponsorship: Application Process, Documents, and Timeline

Sponsoring parents and grandparents requires first being invited by the government to submit an application. Therefore, the process involves the following main steps:

1. Show interest to sponsor. A sponsor can submit the interest to sponsor form online when the program opens.‍
2. Through a random selection, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invites potential sponsors to submit a complete sponsorship application along with their parents' or grandparents' application for permanent residence.‍
3. Within 60 days from receipt of an invitation, a complete application must be submitted online. This will include a sponsor’s application to become a sponsor and the parents' or grandparents' application for permanent residence.‍
4. Once the sponsor is verified and proven to be eligible by IRCC, sponsored parents or grandparents will be scheduled to undergo medical exams, provide biometrics, and submit police certificates during the processing of their application to become Canadian permanent residents.

The Parents/Grandparents Sponsorship application will include the following main documents:

• Immigration application forms.
• Documents proving the sponsor’s status in Canada (e.g., passport, permanent residence card).
• Documents proving the sponsor’s residence in Canada (if applicable, e.g., a bill, statement).
• Documents demonstrating that the sponsor meets the income requirement for the three years preceding the application (e.g., notice of assessments).
• Proof of a genuine relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored parents/grandparents (e.g., birth certificates, adoption papers).
• Sponsored person’s passport, birth certificate, identity, and immigration status documents (if applicable, e.g., super visa).
• Police clearance certificates.
• Medical examination.
• Digital photo.
• Application processing fees payment receipt.

This is a basic list of supporting documents that will be required. Depending on the unique circumstances of the case, an individual set of additional documents may be advised.

The current processing time for parents and grandparents sponsorship is about two years, or about three years if they intend to live in Quebec.

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Call us at +1-647-493-5205 or email us at info@leromlaw.com for additional information you need to begin the process.