Immigration of Parents to Canada via Sponsorship in 2019

For the updated article (i.e. the 2020 version), click here!

Cirus is a permanent resident of Canada. He landed in Canada three years ago. Cirus is single. He just recently finished his college diploma in Canada. Cirus feels very lonely. He wants to sponsor his mother to Canada so she can stay with him. Cirus’s father passed away two years ago, and his mother has no close relatives in their home country. Cirus doesn’t know if he qualifies to initiate the sponsorship process.

Majority of people who immigrate to Canada are economic immigrants (e.g. under the Express Entry program). About 25% of the immigrants are, however, sponsored to Canada by their family members. The sponsorship programs attracted more than 78000 people to Canada in the year 2016 alone (see the Minister’s report to the Parliament).  About 20% of the sponsored immigrants are parents or grandparents of Canadians or Permanent Residents of Canada. The rest are mostly spouses or common-law partners or other family members.  The Government of Canada intends to admit up to 20,500 parents or grandparents to Canada in 2019. These parents and grandparents become Permanent Residents of Canada upon landing to our country, but how this process works.

 Who Could be a Sponsor?

According to sections 130 to 134 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), a sponsor in this context refers to a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Citizen of Canada who meets the following requirements:

• Is at least 18 years old
• Lives in Canada not outside Canada
• Accepts to sign an undertaking pledge for 20 years (i.e. in the next 20 years from the day of applicant’s landing the sponsor will be financially responsible for their parents or grandparents and the applicants may not use social assistance to cover their expenses)
• Is not subject to a removal order from Canada (i.e. the government does not intend to deport them from Canada)
• Is not in any reformatory, prison, jail, or penitentiary
• Has not been convicted of an offence of the violent or sexual nature toward people close to the sponsor (Consult with a professional for more details)
• Is not an undischarged bankrupt
• Does not owe money to the Federal Government of Canada (Consult with a professional for more information)
• Has filed their taxes in Canada and their income on Notice of Assessment in the last three consecutive years is at least 30% above the poverty line based on the number of people they are sponsoring, their household, and their dependents. Click here for more information about the minimum necessary income.

If the sponsor does not meet the financial requirements, they could ask their spouse or common-law partner to be a co-signer of the application. The co-signer’s income may be added to the income of the sponsor. In return, they will be equally responsible for the undertaking. Consult with a professional for more details.

Who Could be an Applicant?

For parental sponsorship, an applicant is a person who is a foreign national and is the parent or grandparent of the sponsor. There are no specific age limitations, but the applicant needs to be admissible to Canada. The grounds of inadmissibility as laid out under sections 33 to 43 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) are the following:

• Security (e.g. someone who is a spy against Canada or is a terrorist)
• Human or international rights violations (e.g. someone who kills a group of people because of their gender or religious beliefs)
• Serious criminality (e.g. someone who commits an offence in Canada and is jailed for more than six months)
• Criminality (e.g. someone who commits an indictable offence)
• Organized criminality (e.g. someone who is a member of a criminal gang)
• Health grounds (e.g. someone who has a disease that could put the health or safety of Canadians at risk)
• Financial reasons (e.g. if the applicant intends to file for social assistance upon landing in Canada)
• Misrepresentation (e.g. if the applicant hides a critical document from the officer)
• Other matters (e.g. not appearing for an immigration examination)

What is the Process?

You need to prepare all the forms and documents, preferably before the end of 2018. Submit the package on the last days of the year (e.g. on December 27th or 28th of 2018) or the first few working days of 2019 (i.e. January 2nd, 3rd, or 4th of 2019). Since the process will be based on the First-come, first-served (FCFS) basis, you won’t have much of a chance if you submit your application later than January 4, 2019. Of course, we cannot predict the future but the number of applications is limited, and there are thousands of eligible sponsors and applicants waiting in line. Please note that the applications will be initially submitted by the sponsor.

Canada Immigration 2019 – Other Options

If you wish to visit or move to Canada or if you have encountered any issues with the immigration authorities, you may fill out our free assessment form or book a consultation session to assess your potential opportunities or offer you immigration, visa, or citizenship advice.

Al Parsai, MA, DTM, RCIC
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Ashton College Instructor – Immigration Consulting

Disclaimer:
This article provides information of a general nature only. It may no longer be current. It does not give legal advice nor should you rely on it as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions, you should consult a lawyer. If you are looking for immigration advice, book an appointment. All the characters in the articles are fictional, unless otherwise clearly stated. Any resemblance in names, dates, and places (whether individuals, organizations, regions, or countries) is coincidental.