The state of Canada’s Parents and Grandparents immigration program next year

January is usually the month when immigrants begin to express their wishes of sponsoring their family under Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program, or PGP program. However, the program has not enjoyed much success in the last few years because of the numerous challenges faced by it. Managing the PGP has become an ordeal, and so it is not known when the PGP intake window might open in 2020. There is no guarantee as to what the application process will be like.

In order to improve the PGP, one has to think innovatively. The effort will definitely not go waste considering how popular the program became. The federal government might even think about launching a new Human Capital Pilot for Parents and Grandparents. Canada kept the PGP intake target constant at around 21,000 people on the basis of the 2019-2021 Immigration Levels Plan.

It is important to note that the PGP only covers six percent of all the newcomers in Canada since the program is unable to produce large scale economic benefits unlike other social immigration streams in Canada. The Canadian economy finds that welcoming spouses and dependents turn out to be better for the country because they are able to contribute to the working hours and the economy as a whole. On the other hand, parents and grandparents take up healthcare costs without making any contribution to the taxes.

However, there is a strong economic justification for having parents and grandparents in the country because they are able to provide child care allowing younger family members to work. They can also supplement the household income by working themselves. Socially, strong families have always been a primary feature of Canadian society and there is no reason to why immigrants should be the exception to that rule.