The re-opening of the Parents and Grandparents Program 2020

News release – October 5, 2020

Canadians and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada will be able to submit an interest to sponsor form online as from October 13, 2020 (12 p.m EDT) to November 03, 2020 (12 p.m. EST).

Parents and Grandparents Program 2020 intake process

• The sponsor form will be posted on the IRCC website for only 3 weeks (October 13, 2020, to November 03, 2020).

Accommodation is available to persons with disabilities who are unable to use the online form. They can request the interest to sponsor form in an alternative format (paper copy, Braille, or large print) by contacting the IRCC Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100 or by email until November 3, 2020.

• A random selection of potential sponsors will then be conducted by the IRCC.
• Selected sponsors will receive an invitation to apply and will have up to 60 days to submit their completed sponsorship application.

As part of the Parents and Grandparents program 2020, a maximum of 10,000 applications will be accepted for processing. It has also been mentioned that in 2021 IRCC will open a new intake interest to sponsor forms to accept a total of 30,000 new applications.

To cater to those sponsors who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary public policy is also being introduced by the IRCC. The income requirements for the 2020 tax year will be reduced to the minimum necessary income instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

The launch of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program builds on the government’s initiatives to prioritize the approval of 49,000 family sponsorship applications by December 31, 2020, as well as last week’s announcement of a process to reunite more families and approve compassionate cases within the current border restrictions.

Due to COVID-19, the launch of the 2020 PGP Program was delayed allowing the Government of Canada to prioritize its efforts to contribute to the whole-of-government response to the global pandemic.

Quotes

“Our government strongly believes in the importance of keeping families together—particularly during difficult times. The Parents and Grandparents Program is a dedicated pathway to reuniting more families in Canada. Our government has strengthened the program by increasing the number of people who can apply, making the intake process fairer, and steadily increasing the number of families who will be able to reunite. Now, more than ever, family reunification is an important component of Canada’s immigration system. It plays a key role in attracting, retaining, and integrating the best and the brightest from around the world.”

– The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship