Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that they have finished sending invitations to Apply to potential sponsors. IRCC started sending out ITAs on September 23 up to October 4, 2021. They sent out enough invitations to reach their goal of accepting 30,000 complete applications. You must check the email address you used when you submitted your Interest to Sponsor form in 2020.
According to IRCC, for 2021 invitations, they will only send you an email if you’re invited to apply. To ensure that you don’t miss their email here are some suggestions:
- Check the same email account you used when you submitted your interest to sponsor form in 2020.
- Check your junk email and spam folder to see if there is an email from IRCC.
- If IRCC is unable to send the invitations through your email, they must have sent it to you by mail, so its important to check your mailbox in the upcoming days.
- If after using the link below it says that you were invited, but did not receive the invitation to apply, you can ask for a copy using an online form (please use this link: https://gcs-ssc.cic.gc.ca/pgp/Default-eng.aspx)
However, there is another way of checking if you received an Invitation to Apply using your confirmation number thru this link: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/sponsor-parents-grandparents/selected.html?fbclid=IwAR2VPSDFk1j6g8La5lid1H7JQlLTMnX4a1kXGJlO1zDKtMsoM74ickE2RQQ
I have summarized below some questions I received from kababayans regarding the PGP:
Question: I received an invitation to apply under the PGP, I earned income outside Canada in 2018. What should I do?
Under the PGP, as a rule, financial resources must originate from Canadian sources. Immigration officers can, however, consider income received from foreign sources if it was declared by the sponsor to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and appears on their Notice of Tax Assessment. It is important to note that income abroad may not be a reliable indicator of future or stable employment in Canada. IRCC cannot easily verify if foreign income can be transferred to Canada and converting foreign income into Canadian dollars can be resource intensive. The requirement to provide the Notice of Tax Assessment or NOA’s or Option C printouts for the 3 taxation years immediately preceding the date of their application is mandatory.
Question: I received the ITA, but I don’t meet the income requirement.
If a sponsor is unable to meet the financial requirements on their own, they may include information on the financial resources of their spouse or common-law partner provided that person co-signs the sponsorship application where applicable. A sponsor cannot pool financial resources with other relatives in order to meet the minimum income requirement. Any income claimed by a sponsor or co-signer should be income they declared on their Canadian tax return.
Question: I received an ITA, does it mean my sponsorship application is approved?
Receiving the ITA does not guarantee the approval of your application. The sponsor and the principal applicant must meet the eligibility requirements. To be a sponsor, you must be 18 years of age or older, either a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or with status as First Nations and have the financial ability to support the family that you are trying to sponsor. Sponsors must demonstrate and prove that they have sufficient income to support all the family members for whom they will be financially responsible including themselves.
Please note that the minimum necessary income is a critical eligibility factor under PGP. IRCC will assess the sponsor’s MNI for the three (3) year period namely, 2018, 2019 and 2020 tax years. If you don’t meet the MNI requirement, your sponsorship application will be refused.
If you have questions regarding the above article, you may contact Marjorie at [email protected]
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of ICCRC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
