Deanne Acres-LansOn August 20th, 2018, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced on their official website that they would be accepting 20,000 new applications from those wishing to sponsor their parents or grandparents to Canada in 2019.
In 2019, all potential sponsors will still be required to complete an Interest to Sponsor form on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website at the beginning of the year. This will let Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada know that you wish to sponsor your parent(s) or grandparent(s). Effective in 2019, instead of randomly selecting sponsors via a lottery system, the system will return to a first come first serve system. Further details will be available later this fall.
So far this year, they have notified 17,000 potential sponsors that they could proceed to submit an application to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s). The new 2019 quota will be double what was allowed in 2016.
In order to be eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent to Canada, a potential sponsor needs to ensure that they can meet the following requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older;
- Must be a Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident or Registered Indian;
- Must be living in Canada;
- Must sign an undertaking promising to provide for the basic requirements of the person being sponsored;
- Must sign an agreement with the person you are sponsoring that confirms that each of you understands your mutual obligations and responsibilities;
- Must prove that you have sufficient income to provide the basic requirements for your family members in Canada as well as the persons included in your sponsorship undertaking.
- This amount is based on family size and the number of people you wish to sponsor to Canada and increases each year. You must meet the minimum necessary income requirement for each of the three taxation years immediately preceding the date of your application. The minimum necessary income requirement is equal to the Low Income Cut-offs (LICOs) plus 30%, taking into account the number of family members for whom you are or will be financially responsible. Please see below for current requirements:
- Must not be in receipt of social assistance for a reason other than disability;
- Must not be an undischarged bankrupt;
- Must not have a criminal record with any previous convictions for violent offences;
- Must not currently be detained in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison.