Citizenship Canada is replacing its randomized invitation process for a new Parents and Grandparents Program and increasing the number of applications it will accept in 2019. This will be a welcome change to the immigration process and will allow a larger number of families to be reunited with their loved ones.
The announcement was made on the 20th of August by Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship for the Government of Canada. He stated that the departments decision to increase the number of applicants was to due to the high demand in Parents and Grandparents (PGP) applications. The fact that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reduced its backlog of applications by 84% since 2011 is encouraging and paves the way for a more efficient process.
Previously the IRCC application intake process had potential sponsors completes an Interest to Sponsor form during scheduled openings then randomly select eligible candidates to apply for the program.
In 2019 the IRCC states that the potential sponsors will complete and Interest to Sponsor form at the beginning of the year and invitations will be issued on a first-come, first serve basis until the program reaches its maximum capacity of completed applications.