Understanding the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program for 2022

The IRCC is yet to provide information about the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2022, but this is what we do know so far.

As per the recent immigration levels plan 2021-2023, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expect to admit approximately 23,500 immigrants under the PGP in 2022.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the IRCC published information on the new PGP intake in January. IRCC, on the other hand, has published updates and staged PGP lotteries in the autumns of 2020 and 2021 during the epidemic.

It is unclear when the IRCC will announce the start of the PGP 2022. We don't even know what format it will take. IRCC has relied on a lottery system in recent years, selecting sponsors at random from expressions of interest forms received on the IRCC website.

Before the pandemic, IRCC was looking into other methods to administer the PGP, considering the fact that the demand to sponsor parents and grandparents far outnumbers the number of available slots. As a result, IRCC received over 200,000 expressions of interest for 2020 and 2021. The agency is now processing 40,000 applications for PGP intakes in 2020 and 2021.

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However, there is certain information that we already have at our disposal. For example, IRCC maintains that the processing time for PGP applications is between 20 and 24 months.

Furthermore, the IRCC's qualifying conditions for PGP sponsors are as follows:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a registered Indian under the Indian Act of Canada,
• The candidate must be at least 18 years old,
• The candidate should meet the PGP's minimal income requirement (married and common-law couples can combine their income if they desire to co-sign the application) and produce evidence of income to IRCC by sending Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notices of Assessments,
• Sign a formal agreement committing to financially supporting the sponsored persons for the next 20 years and repaying any social assistance received by the individuals during this time. The minimal required income (MNI) requirement varies depending on your family size and where you live in Canada.

If you live outside of Quebec, your income in the tax years 2021, 2020, and 2019 will be examined. You will only be evaluated based on your income over the previous 12 months in Quebec.

Consider the Super Visa as an additional alternative

Another option for reuniting with your parents and grandparents in Canada is to apply for a Super Visa. The Super Visa permits your parents and grandparents to visit Canada many times over the course of ten years.