Sponsor your parents and grandparents: Submit the interest to sponsor form

Interest to sponsor form 2020 is now open

The online form to show your interest to sponsor is open from noon EDT on October 13, 2020 to noon EST on November 3, 2020. We’ll randomly select and invite potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

Note: This online service will be unavailable from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 21, 2020 Eastern time in order to perform system maintenance.

How to fill out the form

• You, the person who wants to sponsor, must fill out the interest to sponsor form. If you need help, someone else can help you fill it out using your information.
• It’s best to use a computer instead of a mobile device.
• If you make a mistake on your interest to sponsor form, don’t submit another form.
  • Find out how to correct a mistake or update your information.

The information you enter in the interest to sponsor form should be the same as what you would put on your application. If there are changes, you need to explain why, if you’re invited to apply.

If you’re invited to apply and the information on your application doesn’t match what you put in this form, we may not accept your application and return it to you.

After you submit your interest to sponsor form, you get a confirmation number. You can’t give this number to a different potential sponsor.

Prepare everything you need to fill out the interest to sponsor form

Before you start:

• get all the information you need to fill out the interest to sponsor form
• make an electronic copy of your passport or proof of status in Canada

You (the person who wants to sponsor their parents and grandparents), must enter:

• your family name(s) (also known as last name or surname) and your given name(s) (also known as first name and middle name)
  • Write your name exactly as it is written on the passport or proof of status in Canada document you submit.
• your date of birth
• the country or territory where you were born
• your main home address (where you live)
  • You must live in Canada to sponsor.
  • Make sure you fill out all the fields including your complete address.
  • Include your street number, street name, apartment or unit number (if this applies), P.O. Box (if this applies), your province or territory, and postal code.
  • For the street number and address, include the street type (street, boulevard, avenue, etc.). For example, follow this format: 123 John St. or 123 John Ave. or 123 John Pl.
• your email address that you want us to use to contact you
• names and dates of birth for the parents or grandparents you want to sponsor
  • You won’t need to include this information for their dependent children, or a spouse/partner that won’t come to Canada with them.
• your passport or proof of status in Canada document number
  • Find out where to find that number.
  • You should enter the number of the same document you’ll submit with your application if you’re invited to apply. If the document number doesn’t match, we’ll return your application.
• your electronic signature (you must type in your name)

Make an electronic copy of your passport or proof of status document

With your interest to sponsor form, you have to upload an electronic copy of your passport or your status in Canada document.

We accept expired documents. You don’t need to renew your document to fill out the form or to apply.

Make sure you upload the same document with your interest to sponsor form that you submit with your application, if you’re invited to apply.

You can include any of these:

• Canadian permanent resident card (both sides)
• record of landing (IMM 1000) (only if you didn’t get a PR Card)
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)
• Canadian citizenship certificate or card (both sides)
• Canadian birth certificate
  • If you were born in Quebec, we’ll only accept a birth certificate from the Directeur de l’État civil.
• Passport (pages showing passport number, issue and expiry dates, photo, given name, surname, place and date of birth)
• Secure certificate of Indian status

Make your copy ahead of time and know where it is on your computer or mobile device.

How to create an electronic copy

To make an electronic copy of your document:

• scan it using a digital scanner or
• use your phone or a camera to take a picture of it

The maximum file size is 2 MB. If your file is bigger than 2 MB, you need to reduce the size to upload your document and submit the interest to sponsor form.

You can only upload 1 file with your interest to sponsor form. If you have to include both sides of your passport or status in Canada document, save both sides into 1 file. If you don’t have photo editing software, you can save both images into a Microsoft Word document.

We accept these file formats:

• PDF (Portable Document)
• JPG, TIFF, or PNG (image)
• DOC or DOCX (Microsoft Word document)

Write down the name you give the file and where you save it so you can find the file later to upload.

Make sure the image is clear and your information is easy to read.

We use your passport or proof of status document to validate your information.

After you submit your interest to sponsor form

If your form submits properly, you’ll see a page with a confirmation number. Write down this number. You can use it later to check if you’ve been invited to apply.

We also send you an email with the confirmation number to let you know we got your form.

Once you submit your interest to sponsor form, you can’t change it. If you made a mistake, don’t submit another form. Find out how to correct a mistake or update your information.

We randomly select and invite potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

We start sending invitations after we review the submissions and remove duplicates.

We send invitations by email. If you’re invited to apply, make sure you don’t miss the invitation:

• Check the same email account you used on the interest to sponsor form.
• Check your junk mail or spam folder to see if an email from us is there.
• Let us know if your email address changed.

If you aren’t invited to apply

Parents and grandparents can visit for extended periods

If you’d like your parents and grandparents to come to Canada, they may be eligible to apply for a super visa which could let them

• stay in Canada for up to 2 years at a time
• apply to extend their stay by up to 1 year at a time