2020 Parents and Grandparents Program lottery held

As per a Notice dated January 5, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC] has begun “sending invitations to apply for the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program”.

The 2020 PGP lottery has been held in early-2021 as expected.

The PGP of Canada is for individuals interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents for Canadian immigration.

While the interest to sponsor form had been made available by IRCC from October 13 to November 3, 2020, the lottery for the same had been delayed. IRCC encourages all that had submitted their interest to sponsor forms in the fall of 2020 to keep checking their email accounts on a regular basis throughout the week.

Since the opening of the window for submitting interest to sponsor forms and the invitations being issued, IRCC has “removed duplicate submissions and randomly selected potential sponsors to invite them to apply”, thereby ensuring “a fair, transparent and equal opportunity for applicants”.

For 2020, IRCC will be accepting up to a maximum of 10,000 applications under the PGP of Canada. Another 30,000 new applications will be accepted as part of 2021 PGP intake.

Those receiving an invitation to apply under 2020 PGP must submit their completed application to IRCC within 60 days. The exact deadline is to be marked on the invitation itself.

In situations wherein there is a delay in providing the required documentation owing to service disruptions on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC might “grant a 90-day extension upon submission of satisfactory evidence”.

Keeping in view the fact that certain potential sponsors might have been financially impacted by the exceptional circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, a temporary public policy had been introduced by IRCC reducing the income requirement for the 2020 tax year to the minimum necessary income.

As per the temporary public policy by IRCC, the delegated officer might grant an exemption of “the requirement to have a total income at least equal to the minimum necessary income plus 30% for the 2020 taxation year.”

Those receiving an invitation to apply under 2020 PGP will automatically be removed from the pool of potential sponsors for 2021. If, even after receiving an invitation, the potential sponsor changes their mind for some reason about applying, they will be required to submit another interest to sponsor form in another year if they still intend sponsoring their parents or grandparents.

Canada’s SUPER VISA program is another route to Canada immigration for bringing parents and grandparents to the country. A renewable visa, the Super Visa of Canada is valid for 10 years.

If you are looking to Migrate, Study, Invest, Visit, or Work Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.

If you found this blog engaging, you may also like …

Top 10 most-accepting countries for migrants