HOW CAN I SPONSOR MY MOTHER, SISTER?
DEAR MISS Powell, My mother and sister live in Jamaica and I would like to sponsor them. A little about me I am a Canadian citizen, have a home and a good-paying job. My mother is retired, and my sister is a highschool teacher. Can you tell me how I can go about sponsoring them? I heard that sponsorship of parents is a lottery system. What does that mean? We are all anxiously awaiting your response in The Gleaner, so that we can proceed.
NP
Dear NP,
Canada has a generous immigration system which encourages family unification. Based on the latest government of Canada Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-2024, it is expected that approximately 25,000 persons will be selected under the PGP this year, and steadily increase to 32,000 in two years.
Citizens and permanent residents of Canada can sponsor their parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada. You may apply under the Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP). As the sponsor, the first step would be to submit an ‘expression of interest’ to sponsor your parent via the government’s online portal.
Some persons see it as a lottery system because you must wait for the portal to be opened, then apply. There is a cap on the number of applications that is accepted. Once the cap is reached, the portal is closed. Then the persons selected will be invited to provide additional information, so that the application can be processed.
DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY
The PGP is a competitive programme, and so you should consult with a Canadian immigration lawyer to help you determine if you are eligible before applying. You should also have all the necessary documents ready for both, so that you can submit an accurate application and provide the necessary documents when called upon to do so.
Your mother must be prepared to pass all the medical and security checks. She will be required to provide a police report from any country that she has spent six months or more. She must have a valid, unexpired passport at the time when she is required to present it to the government.
There are various documents that will be required from you as the sponsor. The first requirement is that you, the sponsor, must be at least 18 years of age; be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; live in Canada and show that you can afford to sponsor your mother.
You will be evaluated as a sponsor based on documents to substantiate that you have above the minimum necessary income (MNI) to sponsor a family member. This means presenting your tax returns or Notice of Assessments from the Canadian Revenue Agency to clearly show that you meet the minimum necessary income requirement for the past three years preceding the application date.
For example, according to the most recent base MNI, if you have a family of two persons, you should prove that your minimum annual income for 2018 was more than CDN$40,379; for 2019, CDN$41,007; and for 2020, CDN$32,270. These figures will change based on the number of persons in your family. You should note that you must continue to meet this MNI on the date on which the sponsorship application is signed, until the day your mother is granted status as a permanent resident of Canada.
As the sponsor, you will be required by Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada to sign an undertaking that you will support your mother for a period between three to 20 years, depending on your mother’s age. This is an agreement that you will be responsible for your mother’s care and basic needs, and that you will ensure that she will not need social assistance from the government of Canada during the period specified. This undertaking is a contract, and so if your mother obtains certain types of social assistance during the specified period, then you can expect that the government will pursue you to recover the funding that they provided to your mother.
Based on the background information you have provided; you would not be able to sponsor your sister. You indicated that your sister is a teacher, and so it appears that she may be able to qualify under the Express Entry System as a federal skilled worker. To know more about the Express Entry System, and the parents and grandparents’ sponsorship programme, I recommend that you book a consultation directly with us via Zoom or telephone.
Deidre S. Powell is an immigration lawyer, mediator and notary public with an office in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Submit your questions and comments to info@ deidrepowell.com or call 613-6958777. You can also find her at www. deidrepowell.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.