In December 2019, the federal government temporarily suspended the annual application submission date for parent/grandparent permanent residence sponsorship applications, to allow the government time to develop a new application intake management process for 2020.
Historically, the federal government would open this popular program - which allows Canadians and permanent residents to apply to sponsor their overseas parents or grandparents for permanent residence in Canada - to the public once a year on a specified date (typically in January). There are a limited number of applications accepted under this program each year and the demand is very high, leading in recent years to issues of fairness and accessibility with the intake system as potential applicants race to submit their interest to sponsor forms while vying for a coveted application opportunity.
The government has announced this year they are re-thinking the application intake process to give interested sponsors the same opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form, and a fair chance to be invited to apply. Though the date and details of the new application intake has not yet been released, the Minister of Immigration has committed to further instructions by April 1, 2020. Despite the prospective changes to the intake process, it is still the case that demand for this program is far greater than the number of spots available, so if you wish to sponsor your parent or grandparent for permanent residence to Canada in 2020, it is a good idea to begin preparations as soon as possible to be ready in time for the anticipated program announcement.
If you require assistance with the parent/grandparent permanent residence sponsorship program, please contact Jason May.