January 8, 2018
Parental Sponsorships Lottery Now Open – Act Fast and Be Mindful of Deadlines!
Q: I understand that the parental sponsorship has dramatically changed from the past. I would like to sponsor my parents, can you give me more details about the new procedure?
A: First, Happy New Year!
As to your question, we have been receiving so many inquiries about sponsoring parents recently and for good reason. This question and others are very timely, as the new parental sponsorship procedure has just opened again for 2018. It is the second year that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is using the new, online system.
How does it work?
On January 2 the system opened online, and it will remain open until February 1. All sponsors that live in Canada have the possibility of expressing their desire to sponsor their parents or grandparents, by filling out a short online form. IRCC will accept 10,000 complete applications in 2018. A few months after the window closes a random draw from the pool of interested sponsors will be undertaken.
Those selected will be invited to submit their complete application by a certain deadline. If the sponsor does not submit the application by the deadline or it is deemed incomplete they will lose their invitation and a second round of draws will be held later in the year. Not much room for error. This is what happened in 2017, a second round of invitations followed in the months of August or September as not all previous candidates submitted their applications on time and/ or in a complete fashion.
What are the odds?
Last year reports indicate 100,000 applications were received and given 10,000 were selected, the odds of being selected was 10%. It is unclear at this time if those odds will deter sponsors from applying this year and subsequently if the odds will increase
Do my odds increase if I was in the lottery last year?
The lottery is not weighted. Meaning people applying for the second time around have no greater chance of being selected in comparison to those applying for the first time. This may be something that IRCC may want to look at in the future but as of right now the odds are the same.
Act Fast!
So, if you want to sponsor your parents, you should hurry and fill out the online application, expressing your desire to do so, by February 1, 2018. Should you have any questions about your ultimate eligibility as a sponsor or any concerns regarding your parent(s)’ eligibility please do not hesitate to contact our office. For more information on family class sponsorships click here.
Good luck!