Canada has always welcomed the reunification of families and the IRCC has focused on families of immigrants being reunited in Canada. The fallout of this initiative is more than ten thousand sponsored family members get the approval to come to Canada every year as permanent residents.
Most family members who get these visas are usually spouses and partners, the other major category are parents and grandparents of PR visa holders and Canadian citizens. Also known as the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), it continues to see a high demand for sponsorship.
The PGP introduced in 2011 has undergone a series of changes over the years. In 2018 it was announced that the program will work on a first-come, first-serve model and had a limit of 20,00 intakes. In 2019 the program was available to 27,000 sponsors again on a first come first serve basis.
The PGP program will be available to all citizens and PR visa holders in Canada who meet the eligibility requirements.
The requirements include meeting the minimum income requirements and providing proof that you have enough finances to support your dependents. Applicants to the PGP program must meet the immigration requirements.
Sponsors are keen to know what the PGP in 2020 will have in store. While they wait for an official announcement, speculations on the program continue. Speculations are rife on whether the 2020 program will admit members based on a lottery, first-come, first-serve basis or something entirely new. Whatever the form it takes, the PGP continues to be a popular option for citizens and PR visa holders to bring their families to Canada.
The PGP is regarded as a viable method to bring a family member to the country and help in their settlement. From the government’s side, the PGP acts as a strong motive for immigrants to choose Canada because it gives them the option of bringing their parents or grandparents to the country once they settle down.
Iterations to the program:
Since the announcement of the PGP in 2011, a backlog of nearly 160,000 applicants was created. The government then froze the program for two years. When the program re-opened in 2014, it was decided to operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. However, this did not seem to work.
To make the PGP efficient, it was transformed into an electronic lottery in 2017 and 2018, where sponsors were randomly selected. But this allowed for the selection of ineligible sponsors.
What will PGP have in 2020?
Going by the evolution of the PGP over the years, related parties have come up with their suggestions for modification to the program in 2020.
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) has suggested that the IRCC use a weighted lottery system to pick out sponsors. This will act in favor of sponsors who have applied for the PGP in previous years but have not made it in the lottery.
CBA also suggests that sponsors should provide proof of their financial ability to support family members when submitting their application. This can avoid the incidence of ineligible sponsors making it to the final list.
Apart from the PGP, the IRCC provides other options or families to be reunited in Canada. It offers temporary programs such as the Super visa which allows parents to come and stay in Canada for up to two years on a multiple entry visa valid for ten years. The approval rates for this visa is high.
The IRCC is considering other innovative programs to help parents and grandparents of immigrants to move to the country.
Immigrants hope that the iterations to the PGP and the lessons learned will make the IRCC modify the program so that deserving immigrants are able to reunite with their families.