The PGP Program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents (PGP) to live in Canada. An application to sponsor under the PGP cannot be submitted directly. This is a two-step process. Here’s how it works:
1- Interest to Sponsor Form
- Potential sponsors must submit an interest to sponsor form during the designated intake period.
- IRCC randomly selects and invites potential sponsors from the pool of submitted forms to apply for sponsorship.
2- Invitation to Apply
- Only those who receive an invitation can apply to sponsor their parents or grandparents.
- Applications submitted without an invitation will be returned.
Application Process
- There are two applications: one for the sponsor and one for the parents or grandparents seeking permanent residence.
- Both applications must be submitted together online using the Permanent Residence (PR) Portal.
Eligibility Requirements
- Sponsors must meet certain income requirements for the last 3 tax years to prove they can financially support their parents or grandparents.
- Sponsors must agree to provide financial support for their parents or grandparents for a specified period.
Super Visa Option
- For those who do not receive an invitation to apply, the super visa allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to 5 years at a time, with multiple entries for up to 10 years.
PGP Program Details – 2025
- Application Acceptance: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) intends to accept up to 25,000 complete applications for sponsorship under the PGP Program. However, they will not be accepting new “interest to sponsor” forms.
- Invitation Process: Instead, given the number of interest to sponsor forms in the pool from 2020, IRCC plans to send invitations to apply to randomly selected potential sponsors from that pool instead of accepting new forms.
Processing Times (as of March 7, 2025)
- Approximately 24 months for those destined outside Quebec.
- 48 months for Quebec-destined applicants due to the province’s more limited family class admission targets.
Option For Those Unable to Sponsor
- For those who are not invited to sponsor, the super visa remains an option to reunite with their parents and grandparents for extended periods. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit their children or grandchildren for 5 years at a time and provides multiple entries to Canada for up to 10 years.
- IRCC recently made the super visa more accessible by changing the health insurance requirement. Previously, Super Visa applicants were required to have health insurance from a Canadian provider. Now, they can purchase private health insurance from companies outside Canada, as long as they are authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance and appear on OSFI’s list of federally regulated financial institutions.