How Does The Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program Work?
Headline: Unraveling the Selection Mechanism for the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program
Every year, the Canadian government, through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), enables permanent residents and citizens to bring their senior family members to Canada using the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). The selection method for sponsors under this program relies on a unique lottery system, and there have been some updates to the process based on the government’s recent guidelines.
Understanding the PGP Sponsor Selection Process by IRCC
The latest iterations of the PGP have seen IRCC select potential sponsors from those who showed interest by filling out forms in 2020. An IRCC officer takes a predetermined quantity of these forms’ email addresses and loads them into a tool designed for mass email distribution. Consequently, the potential sponsors receive emails with an Invitation to Apply (ITA), urging them to forward their sponsorship and permanent residence forms.
For the intake of 2024, IRCC dispatched 35,700 ITA emails, aiming to accept about 20,500 completed sponsorship applications. This number exceeds the expected applications, predicting that not every ITA recipient will proceed with an application.
Guidelines for the 2024 Parents and Grandparents Program
Participants who were sent ITAs in 2024 had to adhere to specific rules. They were required to enclose the same “status in Canada” documentation that was submitted with their initial 2020 interest to sponsor form. If any details contrasted between the initial interest form and the latest application, the sponsor was expected to clarify the discrepancies and provide convincing proof that the application is for the appropriate person.
IRCC adheres to a “first-in, first-out” processing policy for these sponsorship applications, ensuring that the submissions for 2024 are queued after those already in the existing sponsorship application inventory. Since 2021, PGP has been choosing from the interest forms collected in 2020, and this trend will likely continue due to the surplus of applications and the program’s expansion plans.
Reflecting on PGP’s Current State and Prospects
The Parents and Grandparents Program has borne its share of criticism, especially with a towering backlog and the program’s limited slots compared to demand. After the 2023 intake, for instance, a backlog of 108,000 interest forms remained. This suggests that IRCC might continue processing the pool of 2020 applicants for another three years, even with a projected increase in admission quotas for the coming years.
Conclusion
The PGP’s lottery system is central to Canada’s family reunification goals, but it presents significant challenges such as backlogs and limited admission space. Despite this, updates like the recently disclosed selection mechanics bring a level of transparency to the process, which applicants and their potential sponsors can use to better navigate the system. Stay updated on Canadian immigration processes and further developments in sponsorship programs by regularly checking for new articles and information.
