2023 Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Rules

Summary#

These are the Ministerial Instructions with respect to the processing of applications for a permanent resident visa made by parents or grandparents of a sponsor as members of the family class and the processing of sponsorship applications made in relation to those applications under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Signed on July 7, 2023 by The Hon. Sean Fraser, they set rules for how parent and grandparent sponsorship files are to be accepted and processed in the 2023 calendar year and put a cap of 16 000 sponsorship applications for that year.

What it does#

• Authorizes the processing of parent/grandparent sponsorship files received in 2022 and new sponsorship files received in 2023 during the period January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
• Limits the total number accepted for processing in 2023 to 16 000 (this total includes both files carried over from 2022 and new 2023 intake).
• Uses a randomized selection process to issue invitations from the pool of “interest to sponsor” forms that were submitted between October 13, 2020 and November 3, 2020.
• Requires that sponsorship and permanent resident visa applications be submitted online, except where an alternate format is needed for people who cannot apply online.
• Sets application conditions, including that the sponsorship must match the information on the interest-to-sponsor form (or explain changes), and that required documents listed in the Department’s application package be included.
• Requires applications to be received by the deadline on the invitation, which must be at least 60 calendar days after the invitation; if fees and the main application arrive on time but some documents are missing, an ordinary extension of 30 calendar days may be granted to submit the missing items.
• Says applications that meet the conditions are processed in the order they are received.
• States that humanitarian and compassionate requests from outside Canada that accompany applications not accepted for processing will not be processed.
• Repeals the previous Ministerial Instructions published in 2022. The new Instructions take effect on signature (July 7, 2023).

Who's affected#

• People in Canada who want to sponsor a parent or grandparent and who submitted an “interest to sponsor” in 2020. Invitations to apply will come from that 2020 pool.
• Parents and grandparents who would be the sponsored applicants.
• Immigration representatives who help with these applications.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which will manage the draws, invitations, and online processing.

If someone did not submit an interest to sponsor in 2020, it is unclear from the Instructions whether they can be considered for this intake.

Why it matters#

• The Instructions set a clear, limited intake for family reunification of parents and grandparents in 2023 (16 000 files). That affects how quickly people can sponsor close family members.
• The randomized draw from the 2020 interest pool determines who gets invited, so having filed an interest in 2020 is now critical to getting an invitation.
• The online-only rule could be a barrier for applicants without reliable internet or who need help, though the department says alternate formats will be available for those who cannot apply online.
• The 60 calendar day deadline (with a possible 30 calendar day fix period) gives invited sponsors a strict timeline to assemble documents.