Parents and Grandparents Program Invitations: Canada will invite a further 35,700 potential sponsors under the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) in May. The invitations will be made from the pool of interest to sponsor forms submitted in 2020.
The invitations will be sent out starting May 21 over two weeks.
The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents outside Quebec to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.
The federal government’s immigration levels plan currently targets an intake of 23,500 new permanent residents per year under the PGP.
In autumn of last year, it was announced that immigration to Canada under the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) is going to continue to be limited to the families of those sponsors who have already submitted interest to sponsor forms when the program re-opens next month.
“Due to the number of forms remaining in the pool of submissions from 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send invitations to apply to randomly selected potential sponsors from that pool instead of opening a new interest to sponsor form,” notes Canadian immigration on its website.“This is the same approach taken for the 2021 and 2022 intakes. Anyone who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020, but did not receive Invitation to Apply (ITA) in 2021 or 2022, is encouraged to check the email account they provided in 2020 when they submitted their interest to sponsor form.”
It was then announced that IRCC was going to send invitations to apply to 24,200 interested potential sponsors over two weeks starting Oct. 10, 2023, to receive up to 15,000 complete applications.
“This is part of our commitment to modernize Canada’s immigration system and to speed up and simplify the application process.
The PGP operates through a lottery system, wherein citizens and permanent residents must submit an Interest to Sponsor form, before being placed in a pool.
IRCC makes random draws from the pool and issues Invitations to Apply.
The sponsors and their parents and grandparents then have 60 days to submit a full application.
Who is Eligible to Sponsor Parents or Grandparents?
Sponsors must:
Be at least 18 years old.
Live in Canada.
Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
Have enough money to support those they want to sponsor by meeting minimum income requirements for the previous three years. Candidates can include a co-signer in their application, allowing the combined income to be considered.
Agree to financially support the parent or grandparent for 20 years from the date they are approved for permanent residence.
Reimburse the government for any social assistance paid out to the parent or grandparent during that time.
Who Can Be Sponsored Under PGP?
Citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.
In cases of divorce or separation, the spouses or common-law partners of parents and grandparents are also eligible.
A sponsor’s brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, are only eligible if they qualify as dependent children.
More than one person or couple can be sponsors if the financial requirements are met.
Super Visas a Solution for Those Not Sent an Invitation
“Those who wish to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada, but who are not invited this year, may consider having their parents or grandparents apply for a Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which is a multiple-entry visa that is valid for up to 10 years,” according to IRCC.
“Enhancements to the super visa allow super visa holders to stay in Canada for five years at a time, with the option to extend their visit by up to two years at a time without leaving the country. These changes make it easier for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada for longer periods.”
At the close of last year, PGP was up by 3.7 per cent, which is less than half the rate of growth for overall immigration to Canada, as per the latest IRCC data.
By the end of December 2023, 28,280 parents and grandparents had become new permanent residents of Canda through that family sponsorship program, up from 27,270 in 2022.
At the same time, 471,550 foreign nationals became new permanent residents, an increase of 7.8 per cent from the 437,595 new permanent residents to Canada the previous year.
