The Canadian government is calling upon all legible applicants with interest to participate in Canada’s parents and grandparents’ sponsorship program (PGP) to organize and prepare themselves for the late January reopening this year 2019. This is after a change from the usual January 2nd as was the case in the previous year. According to a tweet by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada), residents interested should expect detailed information concerning the reopening of the program in the upcoming weeks.
For the new and less informed but interested candidates wondering what the PGP (Parents and Grandparents Program) is all about, be informed that this is a program aimed at giving Canadian citizens and permanent residents of 18 years of age and above an opportunity to sponsor their parents or grandparents for Canadian citizenship otherwise known as permanent residence in Canada. The chances are open for all who qualify, meaning for you to sponsor your parents and/or grandparents, you have to be a Canadian Citizen and a resident of the state with 18 and above years of age.
During the 2018 Parents and Grandparents Program, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, used the contentious random lottery process approach to accept applicants. This method was criticized by many and most especially those who had been on the wait for a couple of years to sponsor their parents or grandparents, they saw it as an unfair tactic to selecting qualified applicants because of its random nature.
The method was then scraped off and a first-come, first-served approach was introduced when the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada came to a consensus with clients and stakeholders. They made a decision to streamline admittance to the program and improve client experience. This serves best because no applicant will have to wait for responses more than they deserve to.
In 2019, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada expect to process a maximum number of 20,000 complete and successful applications through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). The first-come, first-served approach once effected, will have sponsor forms processed and prepared in the exact order they were submitted and invitations sent accordingly to apply to the PGP issued until the maximum number of 20,000 applicants is attained.
According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, applying the newly adjusted selection process to the Parents and Grandparents Program gives the government flexibility in monitoring the registration process to make sure many applications are handed in as much as possible
