After a more than two (2) year moratorium on new Applications, which took effect on November 5, 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will resume accepting applications of Canadian citizens/permanent residents, wishing to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada, on January 2, 2014.
Application forms, guides and information on how to apply to the new Parent Grandparent Sponsorship Program became available, today, Tuesday, December 31, 2013.
The relaunched Parent Grandparent Sponsorship Program differs from the old in several respects:
1. The sponsorship undertaking period has been lengthened from ten (10) years to twenty (20) years.
2. The minimum necessary income to sponsor has been increased from “low income cutoff” to “low income cutoff + 30%”.
3. The period for demonstrating the minimum necessary income has been increased from one (1) year to three (3) years.
4. Income evidence has been limited to official documentation from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
5. Immigration officials have the authority to request updated evidence of income.
6. A maximum of 5,000 new complete Applications for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents will be accepted, beginning January 2, 2014.
Because of the quota and the high demand for this category, individuals who are interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada with Abrams & Krochak’s assistance are encouraged to contact the law firm at http://www.akcanada.com/contact.cfm with a request for assistance as soon as they can or to complete Abrams & Krochak’s Parent Grandparent Sponsorship Program Online Eligibility Assessment Questionnaire at http://www.akcanada.com/assessment4.cfm.
May we take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!