Most Canadian immigrants are economic immigrants as revealed by the Express Entry program. In 2019, the sponsorship programs targeted approximately 84,000 immigrants as shown by the Minister’s report to the Parliament.
Approximately, one in every five sponsored immigrants is either a grandparent or a parent of Canadians, or a Permanent Resident. The rest of the sponsored immigrants are either common-law partners, spouses or family members of other sponsored immigrants.
In 2020, the Canadian government aims at admitting up to 21,000 grandparents or parents to Canada. Upon landing in Canada, these individuals become Permanent Residents.
Who Qualifies to Be a Sponsor for the “Parents Sponsorship” Program?
As defined by the Sections 130 and 134 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), you qualify to be a sponsor in this context if you are a Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen who meets the requirements listed below:
- You live in Canada, not outside Canada
- You are more than 18 years old
- You agree to sign an undertaking pledge for twenty years
- You are not in any penitentiary, prison, jail or reformatory
- You have not been convicted of an offence of sexual or violent nature towards those who are close to the sponsor.
- You are not subject to a removal order from Canada (the Canadian government does not have any intentions to deport you from the country)
- You are not undischarged bankrupt
- You don’t owe the Federal Government of Canada money.
- You have filed your taxes, and your income on Notice of Assessment in the last three consecutive years is more than 30% above the poverty line.
If you don’t meet the financial requirements, you could ask your common-law partner or spouse to be a cosigner of the application. The income of your cosigner may be added to your income. As a result, both of you will be equally responsible for the undertaking. For more details, you should consult a professional
