ARCHIVED – Operational Bulletin 634 – December 23, 2016 (Modified May 29, 2018)

This document has expired. For current information, please refer to the instructions, Intake process for family class applications for parents and grandparents.

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Randomized selection intake process for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents

Summary

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to use a randomized selection intake process to manage the intake of applications for the parents and grandparents (PGP) sponsorship program. Ministerial Instructions that came into force on January 1, 2017, support the implementation of a randomized selection intake management process.

The maximum number of new complete applications to be accepted for processing each year is outlined in Ministerial Instructions.

Issue

The purpose of this Operational Bulletin (OB) is to provide instructions to staff on the randomized selection intake process that governs application intake for the PGP program.

Background

Since January 2014, an application intake cap of 5,000 complete applications has been in place for the PGP program, and each year the cap has been filled within days. Ministerial Instructions were published on February 27, 2016, to increase the cap from 5,000 to 10,000 complete applications accepted for processing.

The PGP program previously used the first-in, first-out principle to accept applications for processing, and many applicants used courier services to ensure that their applications arrived as quickly as possible at the Case Processing Centre in Mississauga (CPC-M) in order to be included in the cap. There have been concerns that courier services may give an unfair advantage to applicants who are able to pay additional courier fees and, in turn, concerns regarding couriers potentially overcharging applicants.

In order to ensure that all clients have the same opportunity to have their application accepted for processing under the PGP program, and manage an intake cap of complete applications, the Department decided to use a randomized selection intake process. Under this process, potential sponsors will have 30 days to indicate their interest in sponsoring their parents and grandparents. From among those who successfully submit an Interest to Sponsor web form, the Department will randomly select potential sponsors and invite them to submit a complete application to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

Randomly selected potential sponsors will be sent an email to invite them to submit a complete application. Previously, every person who successfully submitted an Interest to Sponsor form was notified if they were selected or not.

Procedures

The program will reopen annually at noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the first working day of the year. The Interest to Sponsor web form will be available at the same time and will remain open for 30 days.

Potential sponsors will have until noon EST on the 30th day following the first working day of the year to let the Department know they are interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents by submitting an Interest to Sponsor web form made available on IRCC’s website for that purpose. The Interest to Sponsor web form is not an application for sponsorship. Potential sponsors must complete all the required information on the form to be considered eligible for randomized selection.

Potential sponsors who are successful in submitting their web form

If the potential sponsor is successful in submitting their online Interest to Sponsor form, a computer-generated confirmation number, which the applicant must retain, will appear on the webpage.

Potential sponsors who are not successful in submitting their web form

Potential sponsors who fail to complete the required information on the web form or potential sponsors who experience technical issues and are unable to successfully transmit an Interest to Sponsor form will see a message on their computer screen inviting them to try again later.

Procedures for processing Interest to Sponsor forms

Step 1

Potential sponsors must complete the Interest to Sponsor web form available on the IRCC website.

Potential sponsors who cannot fill out the form online due to exceptional circumstances (including a disability) must contact the IRCC Client Support Centre (CSC) for a paper copy. The CSC will forward a referral to Immigration Program Guidance Branch and a paper copy will be mailed to the potential sponsor.

Description

The potential sponsor will provide the following information on the web form:

  1. Last name
  2. First name
  3. Date of birth
  4. Country or territory of birth
  5. Country or territory of residence
  6. Status in Canada
  7. Size of family unit
  8. Number of persons they would like to sponsor
  9. Full names and dates of birth of persons they want to sponsor
  10. Whether they meet income requirements
  11. Primary residential address
  12. Postal code
  13. Email address (email address to be used for future communication by the Department)
  14. E-signature

Step 2

Once a potential sponsor successfully submits an Interest to Sponsor form they will receive a confirmation number.

Description

If the potential sponsor is successful in submitting their online form, a computer-generated confirmation will appear on the webpage. If the potential sponsor’s online form is not successfully submitted, they will see an error message on the webpage, advising them that their submission was not transmitted and they should try again later.

Step 3

Information submitted via the Interest to Sponsor form will be automatically collected in a database.

Description

The potential sponsor’s bio-data information and alphanumeric ID will be automatically exported to a master list in GCdocs.

Step 4

At the end of the 30 days, the Interest to Sponsor form will close and duplicate submissions will be removed.

Description

Centralized Network (CN) will review the master list and remove duplicate submissions.

Step 5

After the removal of duplicate submissions, CN will provide the final number of Interest to Sponsor forms received to Operations Performance and Planning Branch (OPPB) for randomization.

Potential sponsors will be randomly selected and invited by email to submit a complete application to sponsor their parents and grandparents to CPC-M.

Description

OPPB will randomize the numbers and provide CN with the randomized list of numbers.

Persons who are invited to submit an application to sponsor

Randomly selected potential sponsors will be sent an email inviting them to submit a complete application. This invitation is not transferrable. The person who submitted the Interest to Sponsor form must be the sponsor or the application will not be accepted for processing.

The application must be:

  • complete
  • include all the supporting documents as per the document checklist
  • submitted within 60 days of the date the email was sent by IRCC inviting them to apply

Persons who are not invited to submit an application to sponsor will not be notified.

Note: All processing fees must be paid in full online. Failure to provide proof of payment or insufficient payment of fees will render an application incomplete and it will be returned to the sponsor without processing.

Procedures to accept parent and grandparent applications into the cap

All applications to sponsor parents and grandparents must be sent to CPC-M. Upon receipt of the application, CPC-M will verify that the person was invited to apply and that the information in their application matches the information provided in the Interest to Sponsor form.

The application will be checked for completeness as per sections 10 and 11 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). The Ministerial Instructions further require that applications include the documents required by the application package. Complete and validated applications from persons who were invited to apply will be accepted in the cap outlined in the current Ministerial Instructions provided they are received within the required timeframe. Incomplete or undocumented applications will not be accepted into the cap and will be returned. The sponsor will not be issued another invitation to apply and will have to resubmit an Interest to Sponsor form when the PGP program re-opens.

Randomly selected persons who do not submit their application to sponsor under the PGP program within the prescribed time

Persons who fail to submit their complete applications to sponsor their parents and grandparents within 60 days of the date the email was sent to invite them to submit a complete application will no longer be eligible to have their application processed. If their application is received after the 60-day deadline has passed, their application will be returned to them and they will have to resubmit an Interest to Sponsor form when the PGP program re-opens.

Processing priorities

The Department will process applications to sponsor parents and grandparents received after persons have been invited to apply as per regular office procedures.

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