Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has announced that the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) for Canadian immigration is scheduled to reopen on January 2, 2015. The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to bring their foreign parents and grandparents to Canada as Canadian permanent residents.

There will be a cap of 5,000 complete applications accepted, the same number as the previous application cycle that opened in January, 2014. That cap was reached in just three weeks. Given that many potential applicants have been waiting patiently for the PGP to reopen, it is likely that that the next application cycle will reach its cap. Applications received before January 2, 2015 will not be accepted and will be returned to the applicant.

To be eligible for PGP sponsorship, the sponsor in Canada must meet the following requirements:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Be 18 years of age or older;
• Exceed the minimum necessary income level for this program by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their sponsorship. Sponsors must also demonstrate they have met the minimum necessary income level for three consecutive years. If married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both persons can be included;
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking to repay any provincial social assistance benefits paid to the sponsor and accompanying family member(s), if any, for a period of 20 years, if necessary. If the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional ‘undertaking’ must be signed.

Click here to learn more about the Parent and Grandparent Program.