Immigration Alert: Canada to grant residency to 20,000 in 2014 The Canadian Government announced the total number of visas it will grant to parents and grandparents By Majorie van Leijen Published Saturday, November 23, 2013 The Government of Canada has promised to give residency to 20,000 newcomers iN 2014 through the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship programme. On January 2 2014, the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship programme in Canada will re-open for applications. For two years, immigrants have had to wait for their chance to apply for this family sponsorship stream. Since November 5, 2011 intake of new applications has been paused due to a great backlog. In the two years past, 50,000 pending applications have been processed. In addition, some changes to the programme were made, promising of a more efficient application process. The modernized PGP programme will mean faster processing times and shorter waits,” was Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander quoted as saying. “It will also ensure that families have the financial means to support those they sponsor, while also protecting the interests of taxpayers.” The 2014 programme has the following requirement criteria: - The minimum necessary income (MNI) was increased by 30 per cent; Sponsors of parents and grandparents must make at least 30 per cent more than the standard MNI level, as that level did not “accurately reflect the increased costs associated with being financially responsible for elderly parents and grandparents”, according to the government. - The period during which these funds were obtained has been set at one to three years. - Individuals must prove that they have been financially stable for a longer period of time. Evidence of income must be proven by documents issued by the Canada Revenue Association (CRA): CRA notices of assessment will be the only means accepted for proof of income levels. This will help reduce application processing time, as all documents will be uniform, said the government. - The sponsorship undertaking period has been increased to 20 years from the previous 10 years. - Individuals who sponsor their parents and grandparents must accept an undertaking of financial responsibility for 20 years. This means that sponsors will be responsible for repaying any social assistance given to their parents or grandparents by a province for 20 years after they become permanent residents, as well as health care costs not covered by provincial health care. - Accompanying dependents must be 18 or younger During the closure of the sponsorship programme, families were given the opportunity to reunite on a temporary basis through the Parent and Grandparent Supervisa, which allows sponsored parents and grandparents to stay in the country for two years.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 00:34:02 +0000
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