IRCC memo highlights parents & grandparents program challenges. The demand for sponsoring parents & grandparents exceeds Canada’s available admission targets.  Before the pandemic, IRCC would receive interest to sponsor submissions every year, randomize the submission & then select a limited number of candidates to apply based on the targets. 

Last year, IRCC decided to obtain over 15,000 complete applications by selecting prospective sponsors from the pool of interest to sponsor forms submitted in the fall of 2020. 

However, inventory levels & processing times for parents & transparent program applications have grown every year since 2019. Recent intake volumes have been larger than admission targets, resulting in an inventory of nearly 100,000 people. 

In addition to the parents & grandparents program challenges, the program will allocate over 28,500 admissions in 2023. The Immigration Levels Plan 2024-26 declared that this number will grow to 32,000 & 34,000 in 2025 & 2026. 

Despite these admission level increases, given the number of candidates in the pool, no new candidates are needed this year to meet these levels. Thus, new applications received this year will have to wait for almost 2-3 years in order to be finalized. 

Moreover, processing times for the applications are a result of intake management. If the input of the application obtained is greater than the output of finalized applications, the inventory grows, resulting in longer processing times. According to the memo, a meaningful reduction as well as stability in these times will only be achieved via intake management & the alignment of inputs & outputs. 

Furthermore, the memo suggests that while intakes are at the discretion of the immigration minister, in order to ensure stable processing times, annual volumes must be calculated based on the Immigration Levels Plans. A multi-year Intake Plan must be established parallelly to the Levels Plan to ensure that intake aligns with the admission targets. This would be similar to what is done in Express Entry. 

Following the drafting of this memo, IRCC unveiled the PGP 2023 procedure. Between October 10th & 24th, IRCC sent 24,200 invitations to apply to the PGP to receive 15,000 applications. Eligible candidates were chosen from the 2020 pool of interested eligible sponsors. 

The Super Visa

Besides parents & grandparents program challenges, another alternative to this is the Super Visa. Herein, parents & grandparents of Canadians can stay in the nation for an extended time period. 

Moreover, a Super Visa is a temporary visa allowing grandparents & parents to visit their families in Canada for up to five years without renewing their visitor status. With a Super Visa, parents & grandparents can arrive in Canada numerous times for up to ten years. 

Also, if one is already a Super Visa holder, they can apply for an extension. This might enable parents as well as grandparents to stay in Canada for up to seven years. 

A significant benefit of Super Visa is that it is available year-round. In addition, it is also ideal for parents & grandparents residing in nations which require a TRV for entry into the nation. With the Super Visa, they can travel freely between Canada & their home country without needing to reapply for TRV. 

Who Can Apply For A Super Visa? 

To apply for a Super Visa, an applicant should be a parent/ grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. 

A candidate must also have a signed letter from their child/ grandchild inviting them to Canada. This letter should give: 

  • A promise of supporting the parents/ grandparents financially. 
  • The number of people & the list of people living in that individual’s household. 
  • A copy of the permanent resident or Canadian citizenship document. 

The candidate must also show evidence of medical insurance from an insurance company in Canada, which: 

  • has a minimum of $100,000 of emergency coverage
  • is valid for one year from the date of entry. 

It is vital to note that there is no need for the insurance policy to be paid in full when applying for the Super Visa. 

Lastly, the child & grandchild of the candidate should prove that they can meet the income prerequisites identified by LICO. This aims to ensure that the child/ grandchild can offer financial support to their families. 

The evidence that the candidate meets the LICO must be in the form of the documents mentioned below: 

  • Bank Statements 
  • NOA
  • Employment Insurance Stubs 
  • A job letter which has the date of recruitment as well as the salary  
  • Pay Stubs