The Parent and Grandparent sponsorship program (PGP) will re-open on January 3rd, 2017. With an intake cap of only 10,000 applications, Immigration Canada is expecting to receive well beyond that number. This means that those who are not ready to submit their applications on January 3rd will most likely have to wait until next year, as the quota is expected to fill within just a few days. Applicants who submit incomplete applications or those applicants that do not meet the minimum requirements will have their application returned, and will only be able to file the following year.
The parent and grandparent sponsorship program is designed to allow eligible sponsors to bring their parents and/or grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada. In the past, there was no maximum number of applications accepted per year, and over the years, an extraordinary backlog was created. This resulted in processing times that exceeded well beyond 5, and even 7 years. The conservative government placed this program on a temporary pause for a couple of years, and re-opened the program in January of 2013. In 2013, 2014 and 2015 only 5,000 applications were accepted. This year, the liberal government doubled the intake cap to 10,000.
As in the last 3 years, the parent and grandparent sponsorship program operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. In the last intake year, more than 14,000 applications were submitted between January 4 and January 7 of this year, of which only 10,000 were processed. While the government expected to retain only 5,000, they accepted double that, and it was far less than the actual demand.
As this year comes to an end, thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents prepare to submit their applications. It is highly advisable that Canadian sponsors retain the services of an authorized representative to ensure their application is complete, and will be submitted as soon as the program opens to provide for best chances of having their parent and grandparent sponsorship applications accepted for this intake period. With less than 30 days to submit, it is imperative that sponsors are aware of the requirements.
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