Canada carried out a lottery-style draw for the Parent and Grandparents Sponsorship program in 2020. Disclaimer: We’re not saying that it’s an actual immigration lottery, just that the selection method changed.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) selected 10,000 applicants at random for permanent residency through the sponsorship program.
The lottery-style program was selected after much controversy over the fairness of the previous format.
In 2019, the Parent and Grandparents Sponsorship applicants were selected on a first-come-first-serve basis. However, the fairness of the format was disputed as applicants claimed that the process favored applicants with better internet access and computer ability.
IRCC will accept up to 40,000 new applicants through this sponsorship in 2021. The original plan to issue 40,000 Invitations to Apply (ITA) through 2020-2021 was delayed due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.