Parent and Grandparent Program

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will randomly invite potential sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 for the 2024 intake. It’s expected that IRCC will accept up to 20,500 complete applications from the 35,700 invitations issued.

IRCC will once again select potential sponsors from the pool of submissions made in 2020, rather than opening a new interest to sponsor form—the same approach taken during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 PGP intakes.

If you submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 and are still in the pool, you should be ready to monitor your email address from May 21. If your email address has changed, follow the instructions here to update your email address.

What To Do If You Get An Invitation To Sponsor Your Parents or Grandparents In This Intake?

Applicants invited to apply in the 2024 intake will use the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal for electronic submissions. This move is in line with the government’s efforts to modernize the immigration system, streamlining and expediting the application process.

What do invited PGP sponsors need to submit after being invited?

If you are invited to sponsor your parents or grandparents, you must submit two applications:

1. You must apply to become a sponsor
2. Your parents or grandparents must apply for permanent residence

Both the sponsorship and the permanent residence applications must be submitted together online at the same time. For details on where and how to apply, refer to this IRCC webpage.

Overview: Canada’s Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP)

Canada’s Family Class immigration category allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s) through the Parent and Grandparent Program, or PGP.

Sponsored parents and grandparents become permanent residents of Canada, with all the benefits that come with it. This includes the right to live and work in Canada without restriction on location, time, or sector, as well as access to publicly-funded health care and other services. Ultimately, sponsored parents and grandparents may become Canadian citizens.

Under the government of Canada’s multi-year immigration plan, around 25,000 new permanent residents are to be admitted annually as permanent residents through the PGP.

Parent and Grandparent Program eligibility

To be eligible for the Parent and Grandparent Program, both the sponsor and the person(s) being sponsored must have met certain eligibility requirements.

Sponsors must:

• be either a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
• meet certain income requirements (see below); and
• support the sponsored person(s) and their dependants financially.

The sponsor and the sponsored person(s) must sign a sponsorship agreement that:

• commits the sponsor to provide financial support the sponsored person(s) and any other eligible relatives accompanying them for a period of three to 20 years, depending on their age and relationship to the sponsor, beginning on the date they become a permanent resident; and
• states that the persons becoming permanent residents will make every effort to support themselves.

The province of Quebec has additional requirements for the Parent and Grandparent Program. Residents of Quebec must sign an ‘undertaking’ with the province of Quebec. This is a contract that binds the sponsorship. Sponsors in Quebec must also meet Quebec’s sponsorship requirements after being approved as a sponsor by IRCC.

Intake for New Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Applications Is Currently Closed

Unfortunately, IRCC is not currently accepting new applications from permanent residents or citizens of Canada to sponsor their parents or grandparents via this program.

As to when the intake will re-open, this is unclear.

IRCC appears to be prioritizing the existing queue of interest to sponsor forms due to the high number of candidates waiting in the pool.

However, the government is facing criticism from those interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents who have been unable to formally express their interest since 2020.

What You’ll Need to Apply If The PGP Intake Re-Opens

Before you start:

• get all the information you need to fill out the interest to sponsor form
• make an electronic copy of your passport or proof of status in Canada

You (the person who wants to sponsor their parents and grandparents), must enter:

• your family name(s) (also known as last name or surname) and your given name(s) (also known as first name and middle name)
  • Write your name exactly as it is written on the passport or proof of status in Canada document you submit.
• your date of birth
• the country or territory where you were born
• your main home address (where you live)
  • You must live in Canada to sponsor.
  • Make sure you fill out all the fields including your complete address.
  • Include your street number, street name, apartment or unit number (if this applies), P.O. Box (if this applies), your province or territory, and postal code.
  • For the street number and address, include the street type (street, boulevard, avenue, etc.). For example, follow this format: 123 John St. or 123 John Ave. or 123 John Pl.
• your email address that you want us to use to contact you
• the number of people in your immediate family (you, your spouse or partner and  dependent children)
• the total number of people you already sponsored and are still financially responsible for
• the total number of people you want to sponsor, including their dependants (spouse or partner, and children)
• names and dates of birth for the parents or grandparents you want to sponsor
  • You won’t need to include this information for their dependent children, or a spouse/partner that won’t come to Canada with them.
• your passport or proof of status in Canada document number
  • Find out where to find that number.
  • You should enter the number of the same document you’ll submit with your application if you’re invited to apply. If the document number doesn’t match, we’ll return your application.
• your electronic signature (you must type in your name)

More details on preparing your PGP application are available here.

What If You Can’t Sponsor Your Parents or Grandparents To Come To Canada?

If you are unable to sponsor your parents and grandparents for permanent immigration, you may want to consider Canada’s Super Visa program. With a Super Visa, a person may be approved to remain in Canada for up to two years upon initial entry to Canada. The visa itself is valid for up to 10 years, so holders may return to Canada for as long as the visa remains valid.

The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit Canada for 5 years at a time. Furthermore, they have the option to extend their stay by up to 2 years at a time without leaving the country.

This is a good option for potential sponsors who are unable or unwilling to submit an application under the Parent and Grandparent Program. Generally, permanent residents are unable or unwilling to apply to the PGP program because the program intake is closed or they want to bring their parent(s) or grandparent(s) to Canada sooner.

The Super Visa is not a permanent residence program. Applicants need to obtain private medical insurance and may not work in Canada unless otherwise authorised to do so. However, the relatively quick processing times mean that families may be reunited in Canada sooner than under the Parent and Grandparent Program. Moreover, applicants do not have to be invited to apply; if eligible, they may submit an application at any time and be approved to come to Canada.