Starting in January 2017, if you want to sponsor your parents or grandparents, you must start by completing an online form and submitting it to Immigration Canada. This year, sponsors were chosen at random from among those who completed the online process.
These changes were made as part of the government’s commitment to fairness and transparency and to improve people’s access to the application process. Before, sponsors had to rush to apply in January when the program re-opened, which led some applicants to pay higher courier fees in an attempt to secure their spot.

Currently this program is closed and should reopen in 2018. Despite this change, parents and grandparents may be eligible to visit Canada for up to two years under the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa. This visa is valid for up to 10 years and allows an applicant to remain in Canada for up to 24 consecutive months without the need for renewal of their status.

Immigration Appeal

The Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) hears and decides on appeals regarding immigration matters (for example: Appeals from those whose sponsorship applications were refused). If you have received a Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) refusal letter, it is important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Within each letter contains the written reasons for refusal. A lawyer will help you file a Notice of Appeal at the Registry Office of the IAD, so it is received no later than thirty (30) days after that date of the refusal letter.

Federal Appeal

Under Canada’s immigration law, you can ask the Federal Court of Canada to review decisions related to immigration. Only lawyers can represent you in the Federal Court.
In some cases, there are deadlines by which you are allowed to apply for review by the Federal Court.
Review by the Federal Court is a two-stage process. In the first stage, which is known as the “leave” stage, the Court reviews the documents related to your case. You must show the Court that an error was made in the decision, or the decision was not fair or reasonable.
There are strict timelines to commence an action in Federal court.

Canada has one of the strongest economies in the world. If you do not qualify for immigration under Express Entry or any other program you may want to consider investment options.

Immigration is Federal law, but each province has its own program to nominate individuals for permanent residency.

The Provincial Programs other than the Quebec Program has lost in common. The Entrepreneurial Stream is an economic immigration program for experienced entrepreneurs who are ready to establish, operate and actively manage a business while living and settling in a province permanently.

They may differ from province to province, but most programs require the following:

• Business Experience
• Investment of $ 150 000- $ 300 000 depending on the program or the province
• Net worth of $ 300 000-$ 600 000

You will need a government approved Accounting Firm to complete a Net Worth Verification Report on your behalf.

The service provider will review your personal net worth claims and your accumulation of funds through an analysis of financial documents you submit to them. The service provider will produce a report that outlines:

• your total verifiable personal net worth;
• your total verifiable unencumbered funds;
• details regarding the legal accumulation of your funds; and
• whether there are any concerns that require further investigation

The Quebec Investor Program is the only program where you only make an investment with no requirement to operate a business.

This program enables business applicants to immigrate to Canada by providing the sum of $1,200,000 CAD to the Quebec government, which the Quebec government will invest for its own benefit, then refund to the investor immigrant after a period of five years, interest free.

To be eligible for this program, you must:

• Have, alone or with an accompanying spouse, net assets of at least $2,000,000 CAD obtained legally, excluding the amounts received by donation less than six months before the date on which the application was filed.
• This program also requires a Net Worth Verification Report.

​​

• Provincial Nominee Applicants: if you are working in a province and have a permanent job offer, have studied in Canada, and have a qualification which is in demand or if you want to start a business in Canada, you should consider this route. Each province has their own specific criteria and it is important to discuss this with an immigration lawyer before making any decisions
• Family Class Application: if your spouse is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you are able to apply
• Your parents can be sponsored or apply for a Super Visa.