IRCC picks Canadian sponsors who wish to sponsor their older loved ones every year. How IRCC picks these sponsors is not always clear. Well, this is because of the department’s special lottery system, which is used in PGP selections. However, recent published instructions from the government reveal more regarding how IRCC selects sponsors via Parents & Grandparents Program. Read further to know more! 

What Is IRCC’s Method For Selecting Sponsors Through The Parents And Grandparents Program? 

For recent intakes of the PGP, IRCC has selected potential sponsors from a randomized list of interest to sponsor forms submitted in 2020. An IRCC agent uploads a selected number of email addresses to a bulk email tool, beginning with the first sequential entry that has not been already invited. This bulk email tool sends out invitations to apply letters to potential sponsors, thus inviting them to submit a family sponsorship and permanent residence application package. 

For the 2024 intake, IRCC sent out over 35,700 ITA letters with the goal of accepting 20,500 complete applications. The higher number of ITAs accounted for the likelihood that not all recipients will submit an application. 

A Note On The 2024 Parents And Grandparents Program

IRCC selects sponsors via the Parents & Grandparents Program. Because IRCC chose to draw from the 2020 pool of sponsors who submitted an interest-to-sponsor form, certain conditions are in place even for those who obtained an invitation to apply via the Parents and Grandparents Program this year. These rules were also in place in previous years that IRCC considered sponsors from the 2020 pool and might be enforced in the future as well. 

1. Documentation Requirements 

Sponsors invited to submit a sponsorship application had to include a copy of the same ‘status in Canada’ document. Well, this was submitted with their 2020 interest to sponsor form. Suppose there was any discrepancy between the information provided in the interest to sponsor form and the sponsorship application. In that case, the prospective sponsor has to offer an explanation for the change and satisfactory evidence. Both must demonstrate that the application pertains to the same individual identified on the 2020 form. 

2. Priority Of Processing 

IRCC processes applications to sponsor parents and grandparents on a first-in, first-out basis. This implies that new applications submitted for the 2024 intake were placed in the queue behind the application presently in the existing inventory of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents. This ensures a systematic and fair processing order, giving priority to those who have been waiting the longest. 

2024 marks the fourth year in a row that the PGP has drawn from the 2020 pool of interested sponsors. While the program is set to grow in admission allocations, demand has consistently outpaced available space. The environment created by these slim allocations, has even led to prominent criticism of IRCC’s family reunification initiatives. 

For instance, after the 2023 PGP intake, there were still 108,000 interest-to-sponsor forms in IRCC’s backlog. This implies that the department could still spend the next three years working through the 2020 pool of sponsors despite the growing number of new sponsors from subsequent years.    

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