October 13, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Edmonton, AB – The online declaration of interest form for those wishing to sponsor a parent or grandparent to come to Canada opens this morning at 10 a.m. MT.

After being open for three weeks, the lottery system will draw 10,000 random spots and then those applicants will be able to formally apply for family reunification.

“I know this process is extremely stressful for families, especially after a tough year where families have been separated more than usual due to the pandemic,” said Matt Jeneroux, the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Riverbend.

“I’ve been advocating for reunification of families separated by ongoing border closures and will also advocate for families to be reunited through family sponsorship.”

The government switched back to a lottery system containing 10,000 spots this year after last year’s first-come, first-served application process was plagued with glitches.

Next year, the government has promised there will be 30,000 spots available.

“We heard from many in our community who had problems with last year’s application and we expressed our frustration to the government,” said Jeneroux.

The online declaration of interest form is available here.

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