Canada Easing Income Requirements for Family Class Immigration
Canada is putting some exemptions on family class immigration policies to allow people to sponsor their foreign family members even if they lost their income due to the pandemic
The new temporary public policy also means new Canadian residents who are sponsoring their family members do not have to make up for more than 30 of the minimum income requirements for their region in 2020. They can even count regular Employment Insurance benefits for their income this year.
These policies however, do not apply to the Quebec sponsors, as Quebec has its own family sponsorship program.
Sponsors still need to meet minimum requirements for income and all other application requirements pertaining to the other relevant taxation years. This means that the next year falling after the year this policy was implemented in, applicants have to meet the additional 30 income requirements and they can only count special Employment Insurances benefits.
The new measures have been implemented through Parents and Grandparents Program, which will be aided by EOI by October 13th. They also apply to the following family members.
· Spouses and common law partners;
· Minor siblings, nieces and nephews, and grand children whose parents are deceased; and
· Relatives of sponsor, regardless of age if the sponsor does not have any close family members who are Canadians.
The new measures came into light on October 2nd, and will end when all eligible applications are processed.
Marco Mendicino, the minister of immigration signed off on the new policy and stated publicly that these exemptions happened due to the financial crisis Canadian residents have faced at the dawn of pandemic. Many businesses were forced to reduce staffs or even closed under the lockdown.
“As a result of COVID-19 Pandemic, the income requirement for tax year 2020 will be more difficult for some sponsors to meet. This could result in otherwise eligible permanent residents having their applications refused, including both current and future applicants in the family class whose sponsor must meet a minimum income requirement.”
The new policy is meant to ensure the sponsors that they will be not unfairly impacted by the pandemic, or any future year where income levels for 2020 would affect eligibility.
