OTTAWA—The federal government is scrapping an immigration application system that saw some Canadians paying hundreds of dollars to ensure paperwork to sponsor family members was at the top of the pile.
The Liberals announced Wednesday, Dec. 14, that instead, applications for the coveted parent and grandparent visa program will now be selected by lottery, and not by which ones arrive first.
Beginning Jan. 3, Canadians will have 30 days to fill out an online form indicating their desire to sponsor someone. From those, immigration officials will randomly draw 10,000 individuals who will then be asked to submit the full application within 90 days.
The change comes after The Canadian Press reported earlier this year that the old first-come, first-serve system was seeing couriers charge more than $400 to guarantee applications would be at the top of the pile.
