Parents and grandparents sponsorship to Canada

One of the objectives of Canadian government is to see that families are reunited in Canada. Along with spousal sponsorship, parents and grandparents sponsorship is the second highly demanded immigration stream under family class immigration.

Sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents Program is expected to start inviting potential sponsors to submit the Interest to Sponsor Form in the second half of 2022. If the format of the program remains the same, sponsors will be selected by means of a lottery system. Last year, the draw took place in September, whereas invitations were sent out in the course of two weeks between September 20 and October 4.

1. What is the Parents and Grandparents program (PGP)

Under the family class, citizen of Canada have the opportunity to reunite with their parents and grandparents through the PGP (Parent and Grandparent Program) program. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has aimed to welcome 25,000 candidates in 2022.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada. Parents and grandparents approved under this program receive Canadian permanent residence and may eventually be able to apply for Canadian citizenship.

In 2021, IRCC held a lottery and invited 30,000 citizens and permanent residents to submit their sponsorship applications for the PGP. Information about the 2022 PGP is not yet available.

2. Benefits of the Parents and Grandparents program (PGP)?

Your parents and grandparents can enjoy the full benefits of Canadian permanent residence including being able to work in Canada, obtain health care, get full protection under Canadian law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and apply to become a Canadian citizen once they meet the eligibility criteria.

3. Requirements for sponsoring parents and grandparents?

In order to be eligible for the 2022 PGP, sponsors must have met the following requirements:

• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be residing in Canada
• Exceed the minimum necessary income level (MNI) for this program (if married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both the sponsor and spouse can be included) and provide proof of income to IRCC
• Sign an undertaking:

– to financially support the sponsored person for 20 years (starting when they become permanent residents)

– to repay any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members for a period of 20 years.

– If the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional “undertaking” must be signed with the province of Quebec.

• prove that they meet the minimum income requirements by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their application.

4. Process of sponsoring parents and grandparents in 2022 to immigrate to Canada

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) operates a lottery system for the PGP.

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 will have 60 days to submit a full application.

IRCC officials have not opened a window for submitting the Interest to Sponsor form since 2020 and said earlier in 2022 that they were still processing existing PGP applications.

5. Parents and Grandparents minimum income requirements:

In order to sponsor any family member, IRCC requires that you meet a minimum necessary income requirement. The purpose of the requirement is to ensure that you are able to support yourself, your family members, and those who you wish to sponsor.

For the PGP, you must exceed the MNI requirement for each of the past three taxation years before the date you submit your application. The MNI is based on your Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment.

The following table shows the MNI requirements for the 2021 PGP (excluding Quebec). IRCC has yet to publish its MNI 2021 requirements for PGP 2022 applicants.

If you live in Quebec, the Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.

Minimum Necessary Income

Total number of people you’ll be responsible for	2020	2019	2018
2 people	$32,270	$41,007	$40,379
3 people	$39,672	$50,414	$49,641
4 people	$48,167	$61,209	$60,271
5 people	$54,630	$69,423	68,358
6 people	$61,613	$78,296	$77,095
7 people	$68,598	$87,172	$85,835
If more than 7 people, for each additional person, add:	$6,985	$8,876	$8,740

Since many sponsors may have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 tax year has been reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

6. Processing time for parents sponsorship Canada 2022

According to the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the average processing time for an application is 34 months which is longer than before (20 to 24 months).

Once a Canadian citizen or permanent resident has submitted an interest in sponsoring these relatives, he or she is sent an Invitation to Apply and must then submit two applications to the PGP:

• the sponsorship application, and;
• the permanent residence application.

If those applications get the green light, the sponsor signs an agreement called an undertaking which starts on the day the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident of Canada.

7. How to check parents sponsorship Canada application status

Check you status if you are a sponsor:

After you receive a letter and application number for your Parents sponsorship Canada 2022 PGP application, you can check your status by using an online tool.

Check your status if you are a parent or grandparent:

If you are a parent or grandparent, you can check your Parents sponsorship Canada 2022 application in two ways:

1. You can create an online account and link your application to your IRCC account.
   • You may link after receiving AOR – Application number
   • Check your status only after you have received your application number, and the processing has started.
2. You can also use an online tool, to check your application status.

8. Who can not sponsor their parents and grandparents

You may not sponsor your parents and grandparents if you:

• Are less than 18 years old;
• Will not live in Canada when applying to sponsor the parent and/or grandparent and/or when the sponsored parent and/or grandparent becomes a permanent resident;
  • A a potential sponsor, an applicant’s primary residential address must be in Canada at the time of applying and until a decision is made on the application.
• Are not Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, or a registered Indian in Canada;
• Are a temporary resident who is visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit;
• Have a permanent residence application that is still in process
  • A potential sponsor must have permanent resident status at the time of submitting the sponsorship application.
• Cannot show proof of income that demonstrates they has the required minimum necessary income.

In addition, individuals may not be eligible to sponsor a parent and grandparent if they:

• are in receipt of social assistance for a reason other than disability, 
• are in default of an undertaking, an immigration loan, a performance bond, or family support payments, 
• are an undischarged bankrupt, 
• were convicted of an offence of a sexual nature, a violent criminal offence, an offence against a relative that results in bodily harm or an attempt or threat to commit any such offences—depending on circumstances such as the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred and whether a pardon was issued 
• are under a removal order, 
• are detained in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison

IRCC may have additional reasons for considering a person ineligible to sponsor a parent and/or grandparent.

9. Application target for 2022 PGP candidates

IRCC released draws in the Fall 2020 – 2021, before COVID-19. The department of IRCC randomly selected the candidates from the already submitted applications of interest, but due to the rise in applications Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is trying other ways to manage the PGP forms.

However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to welcome 25,000 Parents and grandparents sponsorship Canada 2022 applicants under the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP)candidates in 2022. According to recent reports of IRCC, it is said that the number of PGP immigrants will catch a rise in upcoming years. 28,500 candidates are expected to immigrate in 2023, while in 2024 the number will rise to 32,000 immigrants.

IRCC is currently processing 40,000 applications for PGP immigrants. In the years 2020 and 2021, the department received over 200,000 expressions of interest applications.

10. Parents and grandparents super visa program

The Super Visa is another option for parents and grandparents sponsorship and is available all year round. You can apply for a Super Visa as well as try to get selected for the PGP. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit their family for up to five consecutive years without renewing their visitor status. Furthermore, parents and grandparents can enter Canada multiple times with the Super Visa for up to 10 years.

What are the Super Visa eligibility requirements:

In order to be eligible for a Super Visa, an applicant must be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. A spouse or common law partner of the applicant may be included on the application, but no dependents may be included.

They must also have a signed letter from your child or grandchild inviting the applicant to Canada which also includes:

• A promise of financial support for the length of your visit
• The list and number of people in the household of this person
• A copy of this person’s Canadian citizenship or permanent resident document
• The applicant must also have medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company that is:
• Valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry
• At least $100,000 of emergency coverage
• Have proof that the medical insurance has been paid in full

In addition, the child or grandchild of the applicant must be able to prove that they can meet the income requirements, identified by the Low-Income Cut Off (LICO) in the table below. The purpose of the income requirement is to assess the child or grandchild’s ability to financially support their family members, especially since the responsibility that can come with supporting an elderly family member can be large.

Low Income Cut-Off (LICO)

Effective from January 1 to December 31, 2022

Your child or grandchild may use the following income scale to assess their ability to meet the income requirements.

Size of Family Unit	Minimum necessary gross income
1 person (your child or grandchild)	$26,620
2 persons	$33,140
3 persons	$40,742
4 persons	$49,466
5 persons	$56,104
6 persons	$63,276
7 persons	$70,448
More than 7 persons, for each additional person, add	$7,172

11. The Super Visa

The Super Visa is offered as an alternative to the Parents and Grandparents program, which offers permanent residence to its applicants. The PGP is very popular, but the demand to sponsor exceeds the number of spots available. 

Super visa is given to parents and grandparents of the citizens and permanent residents of Canada who wants to visit Canada. It’s a visa that provides multiple entries for a period up to 10 years.

Enhancements to Canada’s super visa program take effect since July 4, 2022. The changes include:

 Increase the length of stay for super visa holders to 5 years per entry into Canada

 People who have a super visa also have the option to request to extend their stay by up to 2 years at a time while in Canada.

 Canada’s Immigration Minister will have the authority to designate international medical insurance companies to provide coverage to Super Visa applicants in the future.

The reforms now allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for five consecutive years without having to renew their visa. It also permits applicants to purchase medical insurance from countries other than Canada.

Additionally, there is no lottery to get a Super Visa, offering greater certainty to families. In addition, it takes less time to receive a Super Visa compared to a PGP. Super Visa processing can take months while PGP processing can take years. 

12. FAQ