Parental Sponsorship Program to Reopen January 2nd, 2014

At Long Mangalji LLP, we strive to make sure that our clients receive the best possible solutions for their immigration needs. To this end, we are starting a new initiative where we inform our clients and friends in the community of the numerous changes in Canada’s immigration system. If you find that these changes affect you or someone you know, get in touch with us, and we will be delighted to help you!

This week, we are focusing on parental/grandparental sponsorships.

As you may know, the government had not been accepting any applications for sponsoring parents or grandparents to settle in Canada for the last two years. The parent/grandparent program is finally re-opening on January 2, 2014 – but with several major changes. These are:

• There will be a limit of 5000 applications in 2014.
• The minimum necessary income (MNI) to qualify as a sponsor is increased by 30 per cent.
• The period for demonstrating the MNI is increased from one year to three consecutive years.
• The maximum age for dependent children is reduced from 22 to 18 years. This is applicable to the definition of dependent children for all types of applications.
• The sponsorship undertaking term is increased from 10 to 20 years. Applications will initially be screened for completeness – incomplete applications will be returned.

So what does this mean for you? If you, or someone you know, are looking to sponsor your parents or grandparents, you will need to act fast. Applications will be accepted starting January 2, 2013, and the 5000 quota will fill up quickly. All applications will have to be perfect, as incomplete or erroneous applications will be returned and you will lose your place in line.