AGRI - Sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents - May 22, 2020
Key messages
Due to the current focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department has delayed the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program intake.
This Government remains strongly committed to family reunification, and IRCC is committed to opening the program as soon as possible.
Collection of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit will not disqualify potential sponsors from future sponsorship because this benefit is not considered social assistance.
More information on the launch of the program will come as soon as possible, and updates will be posted online and on social media well in advance, to allow potential sponsors enough time to prepare.
Supplementary messages
As we plan for the opening of the Parents and Grandparents Program, we continue to monitor the pandemic and be mindful that parents and grandparents are more likely to be vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19.
Sponsored permanent residents who are collecting Canada Emergency Response Benefit payments during the undertaking period will not cause their sponsors to go into default because those payments are not considered social assistance. It is possible that current employment conditions may impact future sponsors’ ability to meet the minimum level of income required to sponsor starting with the 2021 intake; the Department is monitoring this issue closely.
We continue to examine the program to ensure its applicability and responsiveness to our clients’ needs while balancing it with the program capacity and integrity. We are committed to continuing improving the program to ensure it meets the needs of our clients while advancing the Government priorities for family reunification.
Subject to travel restrictions, the super visa for parents and grandparents continues to be another option for our clients to be together for extended periods of time. We remain committed to listening to our clients and consider adjustments to further meet their needs.
During the pandemic, parents and grandparents with super visa who are already in Canada can apply to extend their stay to continue to be with their children and grandchildren.
Media Reports of “Side Settlements”
In February 2019, 49 individuals filed an Application for Leave and for Judicial Review at the Federal Court. Notices of discontinuance on behalf of all of the 49 individuals were filed at the Federal Court in April 2019. It would be inappropriate for IRCC to make any further comment on the litigation.
Supporting facts and figures
Annual caps are used to manage the intake of applications in the Parents and Grandparents Program in order to prevent the build-up of a large inventory and lead to long processing times.
The annual cap on applications was set at 17,000 for 2018 and was increased to 20,000 for 2019. This is four times the number of applications accepted in 2014.
Processing times have been shortened from almost 6 years in 2015 to 19 months by the end of 2019.
The inventory has been reduced from a peak of 167,000 people in 2011, to approximately 39,000 people in February 2020. This level is sufficient to support the 21,000 annual admissions target in the 2020-2022 Multi-Year Levels Plan.
Background
Previous Intakes, 2017-2019
In 2017 and 2018, the Department used a random selection model for the intake of applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program. In those years, the Department received 95,000 and 93,000 interest to sponsor forms, respectively.
In 2019, the Department moved to a first-in intake system which opened on January 28, 2019 at noon, EST. Over 100,000 people accessed the online interest to sponsor form and 27,000 interest to sponsor forms were accepted on a first-in basis.
The Department invited potential sponsors to submit a complete application in the order in which the interest to sponsor form were received. Enough applications were received to meet the 20,000 application cap.