Canada will reduce income prerequisites for family-class immigration program

Recently, Canada announced that they are easing the income prerequisites for family-class immigration applicants so that people find it easier to sponsor their loved family members. They will be able to follow through even if they lost their income because of the coronavirus. Parents and Grandparents, along with other family-class immigration program sponsors, will not have to satisfy all the regular income requirements during the 2020 taxation year.

The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for many prospective immigrants. Hence, the Canadian government is trying to introduce measures that will benefit immigrants and give them an upper hand.

What does the new policy state?

This new public policy is temporary but valuable. It will make sure that Canadians planning to sponsor their foreign national family members will not have to make 30% more than the minimum income requirement in their area. Moreover, sponsors will be allowed to include their regular Employment Insurance benefits in their income calculations and not just the special EI benefits.

Sponsors will still need to have the minimum necessary income and meet other application requirements relating to other relevant taxation years. This means that they have to satisfy the additional 30% income requirement for every other relevant year. They can only include their special Employment Insurance benefits in that total. All the advantages offered by the policy extend to the 2020 taxation year only.

To whom will it apply?

Canadians applying via the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will benefit from the new measures. Other family members who qualify include:

• dependent children
• spouses and common-law partners
• minor siblings, nieces, and nephews; orphaned grandchildren
• relatives of the sponsor

The new policy has been enforced from October 2nd and it will end after the processing of all eligible applications.