Jun 26, 2019 – Sponsors who received invitations to apply for Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program have until Friday June 28, 2019 to submit their applications.
The program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada permanently.
A renewed application process for 2019 was highly controversial, involving sponsors needing to submit interest to sponsor forms online on a first-come first-served basis.
IRCC received 27,000 interest to sponsor forms when the form was opened on January 28, 2019.
The form opened and closed in minutes, with thousands of potential sponsors failing to complete the form in time, and many saying they never had access.
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said more than 100,000 people tried to access and complete the form.
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There was further controversy when it emerged Canada’s federal government awarded 70 places under the program to settle two lawsuits that said the online application system was unfair.
The settlement, made in secret, saw members of the lawsuits allowed to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to immigrate to Canada, according to a CBC News report.
The lawsuits are understood to have included a non-disclosure agreement, meaning those concerned are not allowed to divulge details. Cases were filed in both Toronto and Vancouver.
Court documents from the Toronto lawsuit said: “The online registration process in both its design and implementation was arbitrary, capricious, procedurally unfair and unjust.”
Meanwhile, Hussen’s office says the controversial system for registering interest is under review.
Officials moved to change the system in response to complaints about the method used for the last two years.
Under the previous method, interest to sponsor forms were submitted during a month-long window in January, with candidates drawn at random to complete full applications.
Families claimed the lottery process gave them little chance of ever being able to access the program.
Parents and Grandparents Program Process
Step 1: Potential sponsors indicate their interest
Eligible potential sponsors complete an ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form to let IRCC know they wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents. The form requires potential sponsors to upload a copy of a status in Canada document.
The form will remain available until a set number has been received.
Step 2: Invitations to sponsor are sent
Once the interest to sponsor period ends, IRCC will review the submissions and remove duplicates.
IRCC officials will then invite interested potential sponsors to submit a complete application to sponsor their parents and grandparents, in the order interest to sponsor forms were received. This process will continue until the cap of 20,000 completed applications is reached.
Step 3: Applications are submitted
Those who are invited to apply have 60 calendar days for IRCC to receive their complete application. Those who submit an interest to sponsor form and receive a confirmation number, but do not receive an invitation to apply in 2019, will have their form retained by IRCC for consideration in 2020.
Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.
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