Canada Set To Announce Parents and Grandparents Details Today

Canada will announce the 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program details today, Tuesday, July 20, at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has planned a press conference in Surrey, British Columbia, with immigration minister Marco Mendicino giving an outline of the PGP 2021 format and intake period.

According to IRCC’s previous information, this year’s PGP would follow the same format as the PGP 2020.

In last year’s PGP, IRCC offered an expression of interest window between October and November 2020.

During this time, eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents submitted an online application to tell IRCC that they wanted to sponsor their parents and grandparents to become Canadian permanent residents.

In January 2021, the IRCC then launched a lottery inviting up to 10,000 persons to apply for sponsorship.

Those who were chosen in the lottery had 60 days to complete and submit their sponsorship applications to IRCC.

IRCC expects to handle up to 30,000 new PGP applications this year.

What are the eligibility requirements for the Parents and Grandparents Program 2021?

In order to be qualified for the 2021 PGP, sponsors need to:

• Be Canadian nationals, permanent residents, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
• Be at least eighteen (18) years old;
• Live in Canada;
• Must exceed the minimum necessary income level
• Sign an undertaking: to financially cater or support the sponsored family members for twenty (20) years; to refund any social assistance paid to the sponsored family members for twenty (20) years; If the sponsor lives in Quebec, you need to sign another undertaking with Quebec.

Sponsors need to show that they meet the income requirements by lodging the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) notices of assessment.

If you live in a province or territory outside of Quebec, you need to show your income from the past three (3) tax years, but this requirement is for only one (1) year if you reside in Quebec.

You can also have your spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer to help you meet the income requirement however they must also meet the eligibility requirement and adhere to the twenty (20)-year undertaking period.

The purpose of the undertaking is to make sure you can provide for the sponsored family members financially.

How do I calculate my family size for the PGP 2021?

Family size is the number of individuals you will be financially responsible for.

To calculate your family size, you will count:

• yourself
• your spouse (or common-law partner as the case may be)
• your dependent children (under twenty-two (22) years old and not married or in a common-law relationship)
• only add young children beginning from the year they were born
• your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent children
• any family members you have previously sponsored and for whom you are still financially responsible for
• parents and grandparents, you wish to sponsor and their dependants
• Dependent children who may not come to Canada with their parents or grandparents
• Your parents or grandparent’s partner or spouse even if they will not come to Canada
• Your parents or grandparents’ separated spouse

How Can I apply for the Parents and Grandparents Program?

Step 1: Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria before applying.

Step 2: Complete an interest to sponsor form on IRCC’s website between Oct. 13 and Nov. 3.

Step 3: Wait to see if you are among the 10,000 applications randomly selected by IRCC.

Step 4: Submit a completed sponsorship application to IRCC within Sixty (60) days.

What are the benefits to Canadian society?

First and foremost, strong families are the backbone of Canadian society.

There is also a very strong case that can be made in favor of the Parents and Grandparents Program.

Research indicates that parents and grandparents contribute to household income. This enables families to have greater purchasing power which benefits the Canadian economy.

Purchasing a home is the biggest opportunity we all make and the homeownership rates of immigrant families are equivalent to Canadian-born families (roughly Seventy (70) percent of families own a home).

In addition to augmenting the household income, parents and grandparents enable their children and grandchildren to work more hours. The reason for this is that parents and grandparents can provide the same child care, giving the rest of the family more flexibility to pursue more economic opportunities.

In the past, Canadian government surveys reveal that the PGP is among the less popular immigration programs among Canadians. This is understandable given the notion that parents and grandparents contribute less to the economy, and are likely to be a big expense on social services such as health care.

Other benefits of the Parents and Grandparents Program

Parents and grandparents account for just six (6) percent of the total number of immigrants Canada welcomes in a year.

In order to migrate to Canada, parents, and grandparents, just like all immigrants, need to pass a medical screening authorized by the government of Canada to ensure they do not create excessive demands on Canada’s health care system.

In addition, Canada imposes a twenty (20)-year undertaking period on those who sponsor their parents and grandparents.

This means that sponsors sign a contract with the federal government that they will be financially responsible for the welfare of their parents and grandparents for twenty (20) years from the date their family member obtains Canadian permanent residence.

During this entire period, the sponsor is legally obligated to repay any social assistance that is collected by their parents or grandparents. This results in very low social assistance utilization by parents and grandparents.

Finally, Canada strives to pursue social, economic, and humanitarian goals through its immigration system. It wants immigrants to benefit the economy, and thus it selects nearly sixty (60) percent of its immigrants under the economic class program.

Canada also seeks to reunite families which is why it operates the Parents and Grandparents Program. It also seeks to help those who are less fortunate based on humanitarian reasons.

While it should not be viewed from an economic perspective, a case can certainly be made for the Parents and Grandparents Program, as it does help the Canadian economy.