The 2019 policy changes to Canada's parent and grandparent sponsorship program

On January 28th, 2019, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) opened the most recent application form for the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship form (PGP). After 11 minutes, the 27,000 spots allocated for the "Interest to Sponsor" (ITS) forms had been filled and IRCC announced that the application had closed (Harris, 2019). This study will review the literature on the evolution of family reunification in Canadian immigration policies and will include a critical analysis of the 2019 PGP sponsorship program. It will explore the changes to the online system for the 2019 PGP application process, outlining its failure to provide an equitable opportunity for those wishing to reunite with their family members in Canada. By placing the most recent experience with the 2019 PGP application process in the context of the history of family reunification policies in Canada, this study will identify the continuities and changes in the ideologies buiding policy shifts and will highlight what is and isn’t working in the current policy. Keywords: Canadian immigration policy, family reunification, family sponsorship, parent and grandparent sponsorship program