Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Cap Filled

After only a month, the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship program has reached the maximum number of applications that will be accepted this year. The program, which re-opened on January 2, 2014, had placed a cap of 5,000 on application intake.

“As Citizenship and Immigration Canada has now received 5,000 complete applications, new intake into the [Parent and Grandparent] program will again pause until next year, as we devote our energy to reuniting more families,” said a statement issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). “By the end of 2014, we expect to welcome an additional 20,000 parents and grandparents to Canada, marking a substantial reduction in wait times for all applicants.”

The program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their elder family members for permanent residency. It had previously been closed so that the government could process backlogged applications. The strict cap of 5,000 on application intake was implemented in part to ensure that the backlog would be processed quickly and that new applications would be processed in a timely fashion.

Parents and Grandparents can still come to Canada as long-term visitors through the popular Super Visa program.

“Our government understands the importance of spending time with family and loved ones and we committed to improving the immigration system so that families can be reunited more quickly,” said Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander. “Canada has the most generous family reunification program in the developed world. Complementing this program, the new Super Visa remains a convenient option with a high approval rate for those who wish to visit their families in Canada for up to two years at a time.”