Canadian Immigration Update – Parental Sponsorship – First Come, First Served

On August 20, 2018, Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (“IRCC”) announced that the Government of Canada will accept 20,000 applications to sponsor parents and grandparents – far more than the 5,000 allowed in 2014 when the program reopened. The cap for 2018, which has been met, is 17,000.
Despite increases in the quota, there are still far more interested candidates than there are available spots. Over the last two years, IRCC has employed a lottery system whereby sponsors would be randomly selected to apply after completing an Interest to Sponsor form at the beginning of the calendar year.
Starting in 2019, however, the invitations will be distributed based on the order in which IRCC receives the Interest to Sponsor forms – a first-come, first-served system. Individuals who receive invitations to apply must meet various eligibility requirements, including a minimum necessary income requirement.
It remains to be seen whether the online application system will be able to withstand the overwhelming traffic that is sure to result from candidates attempting to submit an Interest to Sponsor form as quickly as possible. Other government portal rollouts in recent years have been fraught with technical difficulties and periods of downtime. We are concerned that technical issues could undermine the fairness of the invitation process.
We expect further updates from IRCC on this topic in the coming months.
CILF is experienced in dealing with IRCC’s online portals and can help you navigate this critical and time-sensitive application. Contact one of our immigration lawyers today for assistance.
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