The number of new immigrants to Canada via the Parents and Grandparents Programs more than doubles

With the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), more parents and grandparents were reunited with their loved ones in Canada last year than ever before, comfortably breaking the previous record that had been achieved the year before the COVID-19 epidemic.

According to the most recent figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 27,195 new permanent residents entered Canada through the PGP last year, which is a startling 131.6% greater than the 11,740 in 2021.

The PGP has taken some time to recover its numbers after the dramatic decline in overall immigration caused by the public health and travel restrictions imposed by governments to stop the spread of COVID-19. The PGP depends on relatives already living in Canada sponsoring their parents and grandparents.

In line with the general decline in immigration, which fell from 341,175 new permanent residents in 2019, the final full year before the pandemic, to only 184,595 immigrants in 2020, the PGP's intake also decreased.

Via the PGP, 22,010 new permanent residents were welcomed in 2019, compared to 10,455, or a 52.5% decrease, in the first year of the pandemic.

With what was then a record-breaking 406,040 new permanent residents in 2021, total immigration surged back to life the following year.

Nevertheless, despite that year's enormous increase in immigration, the number of new immigrants under the PGP only increased by a modest 12.3% to 11,740 new permanent residents in 2021.

The PGP statistics wouldn't catch up until after another record-breaking year for immigration and the amount of time it takes for arrivals to be able to sponsor their relatives.

The number of immigrants entering Canada through the PGP at this time is approximately two times more than it was in 2015, when 15,490 parents and grandparents may be sponsored to immigrate.

There's no question that the PGP numbers will be considerably higher this year given Ottawa's significantly larger immigration projections for the upcoming years.

Canada aims to accept 1.45 million immigrants in the next three years

Ottawa's immigration levels plan for the years 2023–2025 has a goal of 465,000 new permanent residents for 2023. 2024 will see 485,000 additional permanent residents arrive, followed by 500,000 more in 2025.

In all, 1.45 million immigrants will arrive in Canada during the next three years.

The PGP requires applicants to spend $1,050 to sponsor a parent or grandparent; the procedure can take up to 39 months. The sponsors must provide biometrics after submitting their applications. The time it took to supply such biometrics is included in the processing time.

After expressing interest in sponsoring these relatives, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident will get an invitation to apply (ITA) and will then need to submit two applications to the PGP:

? the sponsorship application, and;

? the permanent residence application.

Upon approval of such applications, the sponsor enters into an undertaking that becomes effective the day the supported becomes a permanent resident of Canada.

The following criteria must be satisfied among others to establish eligibility to sponsor a parent or grandparent:

? a receipt of an Invitation to Apply;

? being at least 18 years old;

? Canadian residency;

? being a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;

? sufficient funds to support the parent or grandparent;

? proof of income, although a spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to combine their income with that of the sponsor, and;

? Meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

Those who apply to sponsor under the PGP assume financial responsibility for their relatives

All sponsors must make a financial commitment to sustain themselves for an extended length of time while outside of Quebec, a province with its own immigration system.

The sponsor is obligated under this endeavor to:

? 20 years of financial support for sponsored family members, beginning with their admission as permanent residents;

? paying back any provincial social assistance (government funding) received at the period by sponsored family members, and;

? accepting certain obligations under a sponsorship agreement throughout the undertaking time.

According to the terms of the sponsorship agreement, the sponsor should meet the sponsored's essential requirements, including:

? food;

? clothing;

? utilities;

? personal requirements;

? shelter;

? fuel;

? household supplies, and;

? healthcare not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care.

The sponsorship agreement is serious business and should not be engaged in carelessly since it binds the sponsor to follow through on those obligations even if:

? separation or divorce;

? family rifts;

? unemployment;

? change in finances, and even;

? death of the main applicant.

When the IRCC has given its approval, sponsors who reside in Quebec must comply with the province's immigration sponsoring criteria. For Quebec, the project will last 10 years.

A Canadian citizen or permanent resident may be ineligible for this program if they have a history of serious financial difficulties or past criminal activity. This is because sponsors are required to take responsibility for their parents and grandparents through sponsorship agreements under the PGP.

The following situations might prevent applicants from supporting their parents or grandparents:

? are in a jail, prison, or penitentiary;

? didn’t pay back an immigration loan or performance bond;

? failed to make court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support;

? didn’t give the financial support specified under a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past;

? declared bankruptcy and are not discharged;

? receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability;

? were convicted of a violent criminal offense, any offense against a relative, or any sexual offense inside or outside Canada, or;

? can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because they received a removal order.

The applicant can co-sign on their spouse's application to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada, but they cannot sponsor their spouse's parents or grandparents, sometimes known as their in-laws.

If the sponsor's siblings are dependent on their parents, they may be included in the PGP application

Also, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident is not permitted to sponsor a foreign national who is otherwise unable to enter Canada via the PGP program.

Only the applicant's biological or adopted parents and grandparents are eligible for the PGP.

The IRCC says on its website that if you sponsor divorced parents and grandparents, you will need to submit separate applications. Suppose your divorced parents or grandparents have a spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner. In that case, they are considered dependents on the application and, if accepted, are eligible to move to Canada alongside them.

Only if they qualify as dependent children of the sponsor's parents may the sponsor's own brothers and sisters, half-brothers and sisters, step-brothers and step-sisters, or other relatives, be listed on a PGP application.

Canadian immigration officials advise applicants to maintain their contact information and application data up to date since delays in processing can develop fast when the IRCC is presented with information that is no longer current.

The following significant information needs to be updated:

? changes in relationship status;

? birth or adoption of a child;

? death of an applicant or dependant;

? contact information such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses.

It is the applicant's responsibility to access the application and update it with this information.

The IRCC advises, "Don't mail us updates to your contact or application information." If you do, your request won't be acknowledged and your application won't be updated.

Canadian immigration officials transmit an application number and an acknowledgment of receipt of the application to applicants under the PGP as soon as they start processing the application.

After that, the IRCC evaluates the applicant's suitability as a sponsor and the suitability of the applicant's sponsor for permanent residency.

The IRCC states, "You can opt to have us continue processing the application for permanent residency for your family members if we reject you as a sponsor.

You may anticipate requests for medical exams, police certificates, and biometric data from IRCC officials

The sponsor forfeits any money paid if they choose to have the IRCC continue processing the application at that time.

The applicant can choose to withdraw the application and get a full refund of all money paid, less the $75 sponsorship charge, in the event that they are found to be unsuitable for sponsoring.

Canadian immigration officials focus on the individuals being sponsored to evaluate their eligibility under the program after approving a sponsor under the PGP.

Usually, the IRCC will ask the person being sponsored for the following documents:

? medical exam results;

? police certificates, and;

? biometrics.

Parents, grandparents, and any dependent children included on the application will get letters seeking biometric data; they will then have 30 days to submit it at the nearest location for collection.

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