Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship

Overview

Through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence. IRCC accepts applications only when it invites potential sponsors, and sponsors must meet income requirements for several past years.

Who may qualify

• Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian, aged 18 or older
• Invited by IRCC to apply
• Meet minimum income requirements for the required tax years
• Agree to a 20-year financial undertaking

The process

1. 1Submit an interest to sponsor when IRCC opens intake
2. 2Receive an invitation to apply
3. 3Prepare sponsorship and PR applications
4. 4Background, medical and security checks
5. 5PR approval

Timeline: Check IRCC's current processing times

Verify intake before submitting

The Parents and Grandparents Program is permanent residence sponsorship, not a visitor visa. Applications are invitation-only under authorized intake arrangements. An interest-to-sponsor form is not an invitation, and invitation is not financial eligibility or approval. Do not submit unsolicited applications or pay anyone claiming an invitation can be purchased.

Check the current official intake page before preparing a submission. Previous invitation rounds, historical income tables and annual admission targets do not establish that a new intake is open. Preparatory work can be useful while waiting, but a consultation cannot secure selection. Follow the instructions applying to the invitation actually issued, including its deadline, rather than using an older round’s checklist.

Sponsor and family eligibility

Sponsors generally must be at least 18, live in Canada and be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or registered under the Canadian Indian Act. Canadian residence requirements differ from some spouse sponsorship situations; citizenship does not by itself remove this program’s residence condition. Assess the actual residence history and plans during processing.

Eligible relatives are biological or adopted parents and grandparents. Qualifying spouses, partners and dependent children may need inclusion in the PR application. Divorced parents and different family units can require separate files and calculations. Declare non-accompanying members and follow examination requirements rather than excluding someone to simplify documents.

Check sponsorship bars before relying on income: defaults, unpaid support, certain convictions, undischarged bankruptcy and specified social assistance can affect eligibility. Exact facts and exceptions matter. An invitation does not waive restrictions. Disclose previous undertakings because continuing obligations may affect family size and financial capacity.

Requirements checklist: three tax years

Outside Quebec, the usual financial test requires applicable minimum income for each of three taxation years preceding the application. It is not an average. A high recent salary or substantial savings does not automatically compensate for a shortfall in one required year. Confirm the years and thresholds specified for the actual intake.

An eligible spouse or common-law partner may co-sign, combining qualifying income and undertaking responsibility. Siblings, friends and parents cannot simply contribute as substitute co-signers. Obtain CRA assessments and reconcile marital changes, dependants and existing commitments before calculating capacity. Employment evidence alone does not replace the prescribed tax-year test.

Family size follows year-specific instructions, including relevant dependants and ongoing undertakings. Changes such as births or marriage may affect different years differently. Keep a calculation and evidence for each required year, rather than using the current household number for every year without checking. Quebec has separate financial assessment and provincial requirements; do not transfer an outside-Quebec table to a Quebec case.

Understand a long-term undertaking

Outside Quebec, the undertaking generally lasts 20 years from the relative becoming a PR. It commits the sponsor and co-signer to support basic needs and repay qualifying social assistance during that term. Discuss retirement, housing, dependants and possible employment changes before signing.

Divorce, conflict, unemployment or the sponsored person’s later citizenship does not normally end the undertaking. It is not a private agreement the family can cancel after landing. Quebec has its own rules and duration. Understand government obligations separately from the consultant’s agreement and government processing charges. The commitment can remain relevant long after application preparation ends.

Prepare and track the permanent residence file

If validly invited, follow the invitation-specific deadline and submission process. Sponsorship and PR materials are submitted together. Confirm signatures, current forms, civil records and payment evidence. Missing information can jeopardize an invitation-limited opportunity; an incomplete application is not fixed simply by having sufficient income.

Applicants independently satisfy medical, criminal and security requirements. Build accurate address, work and travel histories and follow country-specific police instructions. Explain name differences and unavailable records with alternatives and translations. Do not omit prior refusals, dependants or relevant health history.

Monitor requests, update material family and contact changes and keep copies of submissions. Sponsorship approval is not final PR approval. Parents visiting Canada must maintain temporary status separately. A pending file does not extend their visit, provide provincial health coverage or authorize work. Where an invitation is unavailable, compare the independently eligible super visa for temporary family visits without presenting it as a permanent substitute.

Government fees

Government amounts are in Canadian dollars and must be checked on the official fee list before payment. Professional fees, translations, medical examinations and other third-party costs are separate. Exemptions and family maximums may apply; paying a fee does not purchase approval.

Processing times: Use the linked live IRCC processing-times tool for your application type and location. Published estimates are not deadlines or guarantees. Allow separately for document preparation, biometrics, medical examinations and any passport submission. A processing estimate does not extend immigration status.

Document checklist

• Valid invitation and applicable intake instructions
• Sponsor Canadian status and residence evidence
• Birth and adoption records establishing relationship
• CRA assessments for every required tax year and qualifying co-signer
• Year-specific family-size and ongoing undertaking calculations
• Passports, marriage and dependent family records
• Police, medical, biometrics and compliant translations
• Signed undertaking, financial forms and correct fee receipts

Common refusal reasons

• No invitation or unauthorized intake submission
• Income shortfall in a required year
• Incorrect family-size calculation or sponsor bar
• Missing signatures or relationship evidence
• Medical, criminal or security inadmissibility
• Undeclared relatives or inconsistent histories

Frequently asked questions