The Parents and Grandparents Program is now open

Starting on 28 July, the federal government will begin sending out invitations to apply (ITAs) to permanent residents and Canadian citizens wishing to sponsor their parents or grandparents.

Invitations will be sent out by lottery.

The selected prospective sponsors will be contacted through the email that they submitted with their initial interest-to-sponsor form in 2020.

This article will cover eligibility and the application procedure for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).

Sponsor your parents and grandparents for Canadian immigration

Who will receive invitations this year, through the PGP?

This year, the federal government will issue ITAs to prospective sponsors who

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send out 17,860 ITAs over the next two weeks, with the goal of accepting 10,000 complete applications for permanent residence (PR) sponsorship.

Note that this eligibility is separate from the eligibility to sponsor your parents or grandparents. You will need to prove this eligibility in the application process.

If you’re invited to sponsor your parents or grandparents, there are two applications involved:

The principal applicant (the person being sponsored) must submit both applications online using the PR Portal.

If a paid representative is assisting, they will use the Representative PR Portal to submit the applications.

If more than one parent or grandparent is applying as a principal applicant, each must create their own portal account and submit an individual application.

Special accommodation can also be made if your parents or grandparents cannot apply online.

The following table details forms to be completed by both the sponsor and the principal applicant:

You can use the Instruction Guide [IMM 5772] for a more comprehensive overview of the required documents and instructions on how to complete your forms correctly.

The sponsored person (principal applicant) must:

Note: Sponsors who are Canadian citizens must provide proof of their citizenship.

Application fees must be paid online. Fees for the PGP typically start at $1,205.

The fees that you pay may also differ based on your situation:

Refer to the instruction guide to determine which fees are required for your case.

Before submitting, ensure that you:

If the application is incomplete, IRCC will send you a letter asking for the missing documents. You’ll have 30 days to respond with the required information. If your application is still incomplete after 30 days, it will be returned and will not be processed.

After submission, you can track your application and submit updates. You can also manage your parents or grandparents' application as their sponsor.

Current processing times are available on IRCC’s website.

After applying, we’ll ask the principal applicant and family members to submit the following:

Your application will be returned if:

After submitting your application, you must keep your information (both sponsors and the principal applicant and any dependents) up to date. You can use the department’s web form to inform them of changes to your application.