How to get my refugee parents in Canada?

[Selly]

I came to Canada as a refugee and I am a citizen now. However, my parents are still back home struggling. They don’t have any legal rights or documentation. I want to bring my parents here in Canada as well and get settled. What are the ways I can bring my parents to Canada? Mind you, they are refugee too. Please help!

 

[scylla]

I came to Canada as a refugee and I am a citizen now. However, my parents are still back home struggling. They don’t have any legal rights or documentation. I want to bring my parents here in Canada as well and get settled. What are the ways I can bring my parents to Canada? Mind you, they are refugee too. Please help!

The main way would be through the parent / grandparent sponsorship lottery. You would need to meet the income requirements to qualify and then enter the lottery when it opens and hope you are selected.

Alternatively you could look into sponsoring then as refugees through the group of five program. For this to be possible, they need to be officially recognized as refugees by UNHCR or the government of the country where they are currently residing. You would also need to find four other Canadian who are willing to jointly sponsor your parents with you and commit to supporting them.

 

[Selly]

The main way would be through the parent / grandparent sponsorship lottery. You would need to meet the income requirements to qualify and then enter the lottery when it opens and hope you are selected.

Alternatively you could look into sponsoring then as refugees through the group of five program. For this to be possible, they need to be officially recognized as refugees by UNHCR or the government of the country where they are currently residing. You would also need to find four other Canadian who are willing to jointly sponsor your parents with you and commit to supporting them.

If I apply through the group of five program, that’s the processing time like? Is it a difficult process? And how likely is it that people usually following this process gets a visa?

 

[scylla]

If I apply through the group of five program, that’s the processing time like? Is it a difficult process? And how likely is it that people usually following this process gets a visa?

I think the processing time is around 2-3 years. I can't comment on the chances of success or how difficult it is. There are existing threads in this section of the forum that discuss this topic. Might be a good idea to find those and read about other people's experiences.

 

[Selly]

I think the processing time is around 2-3 years. I can't comment on the chances of success or how difficult it is. There are existing threads in this section of the forum that discuss this topic. Might be a good idea to find those and read about other people's experiences.

Thank you so much!

 

[canuck78]

If I apply through the group of five program, that’s the processing time like? Is it a difficult process? And how likely is it that people usually following this process gets a visa?

Biggest obstacle aRe to get your group of 5 together and secure a spot as a sponsor of a private refugee application that year. It can be quite competitive to secure a spot. In certain locations there are only certain times and locations where you must compete to secure a spot for sponsoring a private refugee. as you can imagine there is more demand than spots available. Would research how to apply given your current location and start asking about whether friends and/or family would be interested/able to be part of a group of 5.