Sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents

 

 

Canadian citizens or permanent residents all have the right to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada. This stream has lower requirements for applicants, but it requires a sponsor to meet the low income cut-offs set by Immigration Canada. October 2018, Immigration Canada announced that it will change applying method from “random draw” to “first-come basis by submitting the interest to sponsor form” after January 2019. The channel opened in January 28, 2019 and the number of applications for this category has been increased to 27,000 in 2019.

 

Who is eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent?

  • You’re at least 18 years old 
  • You live in Canada 
  • You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
  • The sponsor must sign a written agreement and promise to provide the sponsored person with required financial support for the next 20 years after application approved.
  • The sponsor must earn a salary by 1.3 times of the Low Income Cut-Offs (LICO) in the last 3 years before applying and maintain the income level during the application process. The income level will be according to the number of households. 
Total number of persons you would be responsible for  2018 2019 2020
2 $40379 $41007 $32899
3 $49641 $50414 $40445
4 $60271 $61209 $49106
5 $68358 $69423 $55695
6 $77095 $78296 $62814
7 $85835 $87172 $69935
If more than 7 persons, for each additional person, add: $8740 $8876 $7121

 

Note:  

  • Calculation of the number of households: the sponsor, the spouse and child of the sponsor, the person being sponsored (if any), the person to be sponsored, the child of the sponsored person.  
  • If the sponsor’s spouse agrees to be a co-signer, the income of sponsor’s spouse can be calculated as well; the spouse must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.  

 

Who can’t sponsor a parent or grandparent?

  • are in jail, prison, or penitentiary;
  • didn’t pay back:
    • an immigration loan;
    • a performance bond;
    • court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support 
  • didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed 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 offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada;
  • can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order.

 

Who you can sponsor

  • You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
  • In case of divorce or separation, you can sponsor your parents’ and your grandparents’ spouses, or conjugal or common-law partners.
  • In the application, you can only include your brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, if they qualify as dependent children.
  • You may sponsor more than 1 person or couple if you meet the income requirements for all the people you want sponsor and their dependents (spouse, partner and children).

 

Application Procedure

  1. Submit the interest to sponsor form
    • Fill and submit online, when Immigration Canada website is open for application
  2. Get an invitation to submit a complete application
    • Immigration Canada invite potential sponsors by email ONLY. Make sure you don’t miss it.
  3. Get the application package
  4. Pay your application fees
    • Sponsor: $75
    • Main applicant (Sponsored Person): $475 application fee + $490 the right of permanent residence fee
    • Include a dependent child of your parent or grandparent: $150
    • The biometrics fee: $85
  5. Submit your appplication.
    • Mail your application forms to the following address within 60 days, the deadline is specified in your invitation.
      • CPC-PGP
        PO Box 8020, STN T CSC
        Ottawa, ON
        K1G 3H6
  6. Send additional information
    • Immigration Canada may require additional documents of the person you’re sponsoring:
      • Biometrics
      • Medical exams
      • Police certificates
  7. Track your application
    • Processing time: 20-24 months
    • Sponsors can check the status of their application and update information by using this online tool

 

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