Important Changes Announced To The Parent And Grandparent Program Application Process For The Year 2017

The parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are welcome to reside in Canada through the Parent(s) and Grandparent(s) Program (PGP) as family reunification is one of the main Immigration commitments made by the Canadian Government. It is well known that through these programs, thousands of families are able to reunite and live together every year. Recently, some significant changes have been announced in the application process for the PGP for the upcoming application cycle for the year 2017, which have been highlighted below. Prior to these changes, a quota was set, limiting the number of parents and grandparents applications by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

 The purpose of this quota was to manage the intake and interest in this program. After the implementation of the recent changes announced to the PGP, Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to sponsor their parent(s) and grandparent(s) will now be given a time frame of 30 days to fill out an online application form to indicate their interest as sponsors on the IRCC website. This online application form will be made available for 30 days, starting from January 3, 2017, at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), to February 2, 2017, at 12 p.m. EST. This means that they will now be able to avoid the January rush to submit applications by courier or mail. The online form will ask for the following information from the applicant: – First name – Family name – Date of birth – Country of birth – Main home address – Postal code – Email address

 The applicants will receive a confirmation number once the information is successfully submitted through the online form. They should keep this number for their records. Only one form has to be submitted as duplicate entries will be eliminated automatically. Completing the form does not mean a person has applied to sponsor under the program as the main application and documents will be submitted after the candidates are chosen by IRCC.

 After this 30 day period ends, 10,000 applicants will be randomly chosen by the IRCC to complete and file an application for the PGP. An online notification informing about their selection or rejection will be sent out to all those individuals who submitted their applications via this online form. Those candidates who are not selected in the 2017 application cycle may indicate their interest to apply again in the year 2018. They will be allotted 90 days within which to submit a complete application along with all supporting documents. About the Parent(s) and Grandparent(s) Program (PGP) The Family Class Sponsorship Program includes a stream for parent(s) and grandparent(s) of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Successful parent(s) and grandparent(s) under this program will receive Canadian permanent residence and may be able to apply for Canadian Citizenship after four years. To be eligible for Family Class sponsorship, the sponsor in Canada must meet the following requirements:

 • The sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident;
• The sponsor must be 18 years of age or older;
• The sponsor must exceed the minimum necessary income level for this program (if married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both can be included);
• The sponsor must sign an undertaking to repay any provincial social assistance benefits paid to the sponsor and accompanying family member(s), if any, for a period of 20 years, if necessary; and o If the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional “undertaking” must be signed. Sponsors will have to prove that they meet the minimum income requirements by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their sponsorship and they must also demonstrate they have met the minimum necessary income level for three consecutive years. For more information about Immigration To Canada From Pakistan, please visit our website Lalani & Associates.

Moody brings slight boost in Hungary’s credit rating to Baa3 investment grade

There has been a slight upgradation by Moody’s, (Moody’s Investors Service) in Hungary’s long term issuer and senior unsecured bond ratings chart from Ba1 to Baa3 investment grade. The credit rating has significantly improved and the agency has acknowledged the efforts made in changing the dynamics of the policy so that foreign investment may pour in easily.
However, the risk of sovereign debt may not vary and will likely to stay constant for medium to long run.
Other extraneous variables are notably lessened which results in an improved credit profile of the country and coherence for any future economic instability.
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The GDP growth in the upcoming years favors to remain steady and balanced, which will ensure that government bonds are secured.
Also, business investors having a portfolio of  Hungarian sovereign debts will have reduced default risk and stable returns.

A Cut Down In Processing Times – Immigration To Canada To Become Faster Through The Family Class Immigration Programs

Immigration To Canada has now become faster for all those individuals seeking to apply through the Family Class Immigration Programs. The processing time frames for the spousal/common-law partner categories of Family Class Immigration Programs are to be cut short from 24 months to 12 months, followed by a further reduction in  time to as low as 6 months.
This announcement was made by John McCallum, federal Immigration Minister of Canada, on December 7^th in Brampton, Ontario.
These new processing time targets will apply on all those who have yet to submit their applications, as well as all those individuals who have already filed their applications. Files will continue to get processed based on the first-in, first-out principle, whereby applicants who have already submitted their applications will get preference over those who are yet to submit their files.
The average processing time for spouses/common-law partners of Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents In Canada was 26 months when the Liberal government took office last year. However, the processing time was 18 months for spouses/common-law partners residing outside Canada. This new target will be applicable on all those individuals residing both, inside and outsides, of Canada.
Mr. McCallum stated, “The proposition I guarantee is that the time is now 12 months, down from 24. The changes we’re announcing will last, will be permanent. Politicians come and go, governments come and go, but departments are always there. And we have enlisted their enthusiasm, their involvement in creating this new system and so I think Canadians can be confident that these positive changes are here to stay.”
He further mentioned, “This will be of benefit to the 64,000 spouses we plan to admit to Canada in the coming year, but it will be of benefit to all Canadians because I think that people are more productive citizens, they do better overall when they are with their families than when they are isolated from their families,” said McCallum.
According to the Immigration Plan 2017, the Government of Canada plans on welcoming 64,000 new permanent residents as the spouses, common-law partners, or dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
Thus, this new target will be welcomed by the thousands of applicants in Canada and around the world who have already submitted their applications or are planning to submit them in the near future. Furthermore, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has also confirmed that an extension will be granted to a popular Pilot program till December 21,  2017, which allows spouses and common-law partners of Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents In Canada to work while waiting to receive their permanent resident status.
For latest updates related to Immigration to Canada from Pakistan, please visit our website lalani & Associates.