Parental Sponsorship Canada
Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence. This program is designed to reunite families by enabling loved ones to live together in Canada on a long-term basis.
How the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Process Works
Since 2017, the PGP has operated through an intake and selection system rather than a first-come, first-served process. Prospective sponsors must submit an “Interest to Sponsor” form during a limited intake period, typically open at the beginning of the year. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) then selects potential sponsors at random and issues Invitations to Apply (ITAs).
If you are selected and receive an ITA, you will have a limited period—typically 90 days—to submit a complete sponsorship application with all required supporting documentation. A key requirement is demonstrating that you meet the minimum necessary income (MNI) thresholds for the relevant taxation years, along with signing a formal undertaking to financially support your parents or grandparents once they arrive in Canada.
What Happens If You Are Not Selected
If you are not selected, you may submit a new Interest to Sponsor form in a future intake period. In the interim, many families consider applying for a Super Visa, which allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for extended periods, although it does not provide permanent resident status.
Why Legal Guidance Matters in PGP Applications
Given the complexity of the program and the strict financial and documentary requirements, careful preparation is essential. At Mamann Sandaluk LLP, our experienced Canadian immigration and refugee lawyers assist clients in preparing complete, strategic applications designed to meet IRCC’s expectations and maximize the likelihood of approval. Contact us to discuss your parental sponsorship options and develop a clear path toward family reunification.
Frequently asked questions about Parental Sponsorships
Your application could be denied if you have a criminal record or medical condition that is inadmissible to Canada. However, it will depend on the severity of the criminal record or medical condition. Any prior offences, charges, convictions, etc. have to be disclosed to your lawyer prior to commencing preparation of your application. You will be advised on how the criminal record would affect your application and what possible avenues or resolutions are available.
It should also be noted that in November 2017 the Canadian Government announced that it would be scrapping the policy to prevent foreign nationals with medical conditions from becoming landed immigrants in Canada. The specifics of that plan are not yet finalized.
Yes you can. There will be logistic considerations to be strategized as to where such applications should be processed in order to avoid the requirement of your parents having to leave Canada to execute their permanent resident status, but it is possible.
Yes. The Canadian government currently accepts 10,000 applications per year for processing.
Yes, dependent children who meet the definition of a “dependent child” can be included on parental sponsorships. Children qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:
They are under 22 years old; and
They don’t have a spouse or common-law partner of their own.
Children 22 years old or order (also known as overage dependent children) qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:
They have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22; and
They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
Yes, you may sponsor more than one person if you want to. If you are invited to apply, you can sponsor your parents and/or grandparents (separately in the case of divorce). To do so, you will need to submit separate applications for each person (or couple) you sponsor. Each application will be processed separately. You will also have to meet the income requirements for all people you apply to sponsor.
Further, invitations to apply are not transferable. For example, you cannot use the invitation to sponsor your spouse’s parents or give it to a friend or other family member. If your spouse also wants to sponsor his/her parents or grandparents, they will need to advise the person preparing the applications that they want to sponsor separately and see if they are randomly selected.
Your application could be denied if you have a criminal record or medical condition that is inadmissible to Canada. However, it will depend on the severity of the criminal record or medical condition. Any prior offences, charges, convictions, etc. have to be disclosed to your lawyer prior to commencing preparation of your application. You will be advised on how the criminal record would affect your application and what possible avenues or resolutions are available.
It should also be noted that in November 2017 the Canadian Government announced that it would be scrapping the policy to prevent foreign nationals with medical conditions from becoming landed immigrants in Canada. The specifics of that plan are not yet finalized.
Yes you can. There will be logistic considerations to be strategized as to where such applications should be processed in order to avoid the requirement of your parents having to leave Canada to execute their permanent resident status, but it is possible.
Yes. The Canadian government currently accepts 10,000 applications per year for processing.
Yes, dependent children who meet the definition of a “dependent child” can be included on parental sponsorships. Children qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:
They are under 22 years old; and
They don’t have a spouse or common-law partner of their own.
Children 22 years old or order (also known as overage dependent children) qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:
They have depended on their parents for financial support since before the age of 22; and
They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
Yes, you may sponsor more than one person if you want to. If you are invited to apply, you can sponsor your parents and/or grandparents (separately in the case of divorce). To do so, you will need to submit separate applications for each person (or couple) you sponsor. Each application will be processed separately. You will also have to meet the income requirements for all people you apply to sponsor.
Further, invitations to apply are not transferable. For example, you cannot use the invitation to sponsor your spouse’s parents or give it to a friend or other family member. If your spouse also wants to sponsor his/her parents or grandparents, they will need to advise the person preparing the applications that they want to sponsor separately and see if they are randomly selected.
