PARENTAL SPONSORSHIP
Citizens and Permanent Residents, who wish to sponsor their parents or grandparents to Canada, must first submit an on-line application expressing their interest in the program. IRCC will then randomly select 10,000 entries and invite selected sponsors to apply for permanent residence for their parents or grandparents. After they are invited to apply, sponsors have to submit a complete sponsorship application.
If you are among the few selected, you do not want to miss your chance.
ELIGIBILITY TO SPONSOR YOUR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS IN CANADA
To sponsor your parents or grandparents, you must:
- be 18 years of age or older Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
- sponsor a parent or grandparent
- live in Canada;
- sign an undertaking promising to provide for the basic requirements of the parent or grandparent being sponsored;
- sign an agreement with the person you are sponsoring that confirms that each of you understands your mutual obligations and responsibilities;
- prove that you have sufficient income to provide the basic requirements for your family members in Canada and the parents or grandparents sponsored. You can have a co-signer.
If you have previously sponsored relatives who later turned to the Canadian government for financial assistance, you may not be allowed to sponsor another person. No are not eligible to sponsor if you defaulted in previous sponsorship undertaking, an immigration loan, support obligations or performance bond.
OBLIGATIONS OF THE SPONSOR
Sponsoring your parent or grandparent requires you to make every reasonable effort to provide for your own essential needs and those of your parent or grandparent. You are responsible for supporting your parent or grandparent financially when he or she arrives, and you must make sure your parent or grandparent does not need to seek social assistance from the government.
You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative if necessary. This agreement also states that the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support themselves.
The length of undertaking for sponsorship of parents, grandparents and their accompanying dependents is 20 years. If the sponsored people receive social assistance within that period, then you will be required to repay the government.
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
If you are not able to sponsor your parents for permanent residence, you may still be eligible for a special visa, called Super Visa, that will let your parents or grandparents visit you for lengthier periods of time than a normal visa.
The Super Visa permits parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to stay in Canada for up to 2 years without applying to extend or to renew their status. It also permits multiple entries for a period of up to 10 years. The Super Visa may be a viable alternative to permanent residence depending on your purposes.