News about immigration in Canada: Many citizens and permanent residents of Canada are eager to bring their parents and grandparents to the country.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), which allows citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their relatives for permanent residency, is constantly heavily overcrowded, leaving many people wondering if they would ever be successful in the lottery-style process.

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) is progressively increasing the number of PGPs. According to official estimates, 5,235 new permanent residents entered Canada's ten provinces through the PGP between January and March, up from 2,110 in 2021. According to Ottawa's current Immigration Levels Plan, the programme will welcome 25,000 entrants in 2022, 28,500 in 2023, and 32,000 in 2024.

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The issue is that since 2020, the IRCC has not even accepted the filing of 'interest to sponsor' applications. After completing a full application, even individuals who have been invited to apply to face a 34-month processing delay.

As a result, many families resort to the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa as a backup option, which allows applicants to visit Canada for up to two years at a time and several times for a total of ten years.

However, there is one snag: Super Visa applicants must apply from outside of Canada.

It implies that, even if the COVID-19 epidemic persists, families may be forced to send their often-old loved ones home in order for them to apply to return.

Canada has extended its COVID-19 border restrictions, requiring partly or unvaccinated travellers to show documentation of a valid COVID-19 test result prior to entering the country.

Given the current state of coronavirus-related uncertainty across the world, IRCC should consider making the tiny but humanitarian choice to enable Super Visa applications from within Canada for people currently in the country on a regular visit visa or with another temporary status.

It would help families who have struggled with the PGP application process and are searching for a backup plan.

Eligibility for the Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents

This visa must be applied for at a visa office outside of Canada. A Parent and Grandparents Super Visa candidate must satisfy specific requirements.

To begin, the applicant must meet the requirements for a standard visiting visa. This means that, in addition to being in good health and possessing a valid travel document, the applicant must demonstrate to a Canadian immigration official that they intend to leave the country at the end of their authorised stay, and that they have sufficient ties to their home country, such as a job, family, or property, and that they have sufficient funds to support themselves for the duration of their stay.

In addition, the individual applicant must demonstrate

  • They should either be parents or grandparents of Canadian Permanent Resident or Canadian Citizen;
  • obtain medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that is valid for at least one year and provides a minimum coverage of $100,000 for health care, hospitalisation, and repatriation; and demonstrate that they are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
  • Be subjected to a medical examination.
  • Finally, the applicant's Canadian family member must demonstrate that they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and provide a letter of invitation to the application. This is a letter that contains information on the applicant's forthcoming travel, the child's or grandchild's work, and the present economic situation in Canada.
  • Most essential, this letter must include a written and signed commitment of financial assistance for the applicant throughout their stay.
  • Demonstrate that their revenue exceeds a set minimum.