Immigration, refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the federal immigration authority, has finally held the annual lottery under the Parents and Grandparents Program for 2020 after delays due to the pandemic. Over the next ten days, IRCC will invite sponsors, i.e., children and grandchildren who are Canadian permanent residents or citizens, to submit a sponsorship application commonly known as the Canada parents visa within 60 days of being drawn from the lottery.

The extensions are for submitting the application and supporting documents for Canada parent immigration or grandparent sponsorship, considering delays related to the pandemic. Sponsors who cannot procure certain documents due to COVID-related disruptions can explain the same in their application package. If they still do not have the documents after the 60-day deadline lapses, they will get a 90-day extension.

The window for expressing interest to sponsor a parent or grandparent for Canadian permanent residence was open from 13^th October 2020 to 3^rd November 2020. For the 2020 intake under this program, IRCC will process 10,000 applications. To be eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent for permanent residence, a sponsor must meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Be a Canadian permanent resident or citizen.
• Satisfy the minimum necessary income level.
• Sign the sponsorship undertaking – an agreement for grandparents or parents sponsorship Canada that obligates sponsors and co-signers to repay social assistance provided to the sponsored parent/grandparent (if any). The deal is valid for ten years for sponsors and co-signers who live in Quebec and 20 years for those who live outside Quebec.

IRCC has also announced that it will process 30,000 Canada Parents Visa (sponsorship) and grandparent sponsorship applications in 2021 – three times the 2020 intake. Details of the 2021 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program will be available in the first half of the year. To find out how to indicate interest for sponsorship, and increase your selection chances in the lottery, contact us at 8595338595 or [email protected].