Invitations for Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Are Now Being Issued

On January 5, 2020, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) started to notify those sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form, if they have been selected to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to Canada, through the very controversial lottery system for family reunification. This notification process will take place over the next several days and only 10,000 complete applications will be accepted for the 2020 year, leaving thousands disappointed. To meet their quote of 10,000 complete applications, IRCC will remove duplicate submissions and invite more than 10,000 potential sponsors to submit applications.

The lottery system has been disapproved by many, however the Honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino, has noted that this system is the fairest. The previous system of first-come first-serve was also hugely criticized and when in effect in 2019, IRCC met their quota within minutes of opening the interest to sponsor form. In addition to the frustrations of the system, the invitation to sponsor process for 2020 started in October 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to previous years when it normally was available within the first few months of each new year.

Regardless of the annoyances of the program, Canada does prioritize family reunification and to stress the importance of that, IRCC will be issuing 30,000 invites for 2021 for the parents and grandparents program.

What this means for you?

If you submitted an interest to sponsor form, check your emails frequently, including spam and junk mail, to see if you have received an invite. Alternatively, once all invites have been sent out, IRCC will publish a tool where you could input your confirmation number to verify if you did or did not receive an invite. In the event that you receive an invite, you will have 60-days to submit a complete application. In the event that you do not receive an invite, you can either sponsor your parents on a supervise to enter Canada for an extended period of time or wait until the 2021 parents and grandparents program opens.

If you receive an invitation to sponsor your parent and/or grandparent, contact us today to submit a complete application. If you did not receive an invitation, contact us to find out what your alternatives are to reunite with your family. PRM Law’s contact details are as follows:email pinaz@prmlaw.ca or call 416-320-1751.