Unfortunately the program, “Sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents”, is closed for 2016. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, has reached its goal to take 5000 applications for this year. In fact, more applications are now in que in our case processing centres than anticipated. The government intends to reopen the program in 2017 allowing 10,000 applicants to be accepted for processing.
Meanwhile, what should you do if you need your parents or grandparents to be with you in Canada? Bring them on a Super Visa, which can be opened for ten years and for the first two years your guests will be eligible for residing in Canada without the requirement to extend their temporary resident status. The minus of this program, is that your parents or grandparents would not have rights for medical care. However, we have a number of insurance companies, which are ready to provide your guests with temporary inexpensive medical insurance. The most important note: to be eligible for a Super Visa children or grandchildren of the applicants must be financially eligible to invite their parents and grandparents on a ten year visitor’s visa.
I strongly advise Canadian citizens and permanent residents who plan to sponsor their parents and grandparents in 2017 to start preparing their application package in advance as, when the program reopens, the limited number of spaces will be filled in days, if not hours.