Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP)

Bringing your parents or grandparents to Canada permanently is one of the most meaningful things you can do as a new Canadian. The Parents and Grandparents Program exists for exactly that: a family-class permanent residence pathway for the people who raised you. It is not a fast or guaranteed process, and the randomized intake is genuinely stressful. But it is the only route to full PR status for your parents or grandparents, and many families who have been through it describe it as worth every year of the wait.

What the PGP is, and what it is not

The Parents and Grandparents Program is a family-class permanent residence pathway. It is separate from Express Entry: there is no CRS score, no points competition, and no skill requirement. The relationship itself is the basis for the application. A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian who meets the income requirement can sponsor their parents or grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.

Permanent residence, once granted, is enduring. Your parents or grandparents can live, work, and study anywhere in Canada without a permit. They can access publicly funded healthcare. They can eventually apply for Canadian citizenship. None of those things are possible under the Super Visa, which is the alternative described later in this guide.

The hard truth about the PGP is that access depends on a randomized intake process with limited annual spots. Being eligible does not mean being invited, and being patient does not move you up the queue. This guide explains the mechanics honestly so you can plan around the reality.

How the intake works

The PGP does not accept applications year-round. IRCC runs a periodic intake process in which potential sponsors submit an interest-to-sponsor form during a short window, typically a couple of days, after IRCC announces the opening. Submitting the form is not an application for PR; it is simply an expression of interest.

After the intake window closes, IRCC randomly selects a set of sponsors from the pool of everyone who submitted the form. Those selected receive an invitation to apply (ITA) and must then submit a full sponsorship application within the deadline IRCC sets. If you are not selected in one intake, you may submit the form again in a future intake window. There is no points system and no way to improve your position in the pool.

The number of invitations issued per year is set by Canada's annual immigration levels plan. The cap has varied over the years and can change; IRCC publishes the current target on its PGP page (linked in sources). Because the number of families who want to sponsor their parents almost always exceeds the available spots, selection is not guaranteed even if you submit in every intake.

Once you receive an ITA and submit a complete sponsorship application, IRCC conducts a two-stage assessment: first your eligibility as a sponsor, then your parent or grandparent's eligibility as a permanent resident applicant. Medicals, biometrics, and background checks are part of the applicant's assessment.

Who can sponsor

To be an eligible sponsor you must be:

• A Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian
• At least 18 years old
• Residing in Canada (citizens living abroad may face additional restrictions; see the IRCC eligibility page)
• Able to meet the Minimum Necessary Income requirement (see next section)
• Not in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking
• Not subject to a removal order, a bankruptcy discharge condition, or incarceration
• Not receiving social assistance for reasons other than disability

You can sponsor one or both parents, and you can sponsor grandparents through either parent's side. Stepparents and adoptive parents are also eligible. The person you are sponsoring must be your parent or grandparent (biological, adoptive, or step) and must be admissible to Canada.

If you have a spouse or common-law partner, they can co-sign the sponsorship, which means their income also counts toward the income requirement. A co-signing partner is not the main sponsor but shares the legal obligations of the undertaking.

The income requirement

To sponsor parents or grandparents, you must show that your income for the required recent tax years meets the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI). The MNI for PGP is set at 30 percent above the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for your household size.

Your household size for this calculation includes yourself, any dependants already living with you, and the parent or grandparent you plan to sponsor (and any of their dependants who are being included). If you are sponsoring both parents, both are counted in the household size.

You demonstrate your income through CRA Notices of Assessment for the years IRCC specifies in the invitation to apply. Do not use dollar figures from older guides or community posts: IRCC updates the LICO table annually and the required number of tax years can also vary. Check the current income table on the IRCC PGP eligibility page at the time you apply.

If your income alone does not meet the threshold, a spouse or common-law partner can co-sign. Employment income, self-employment income, and certain other income sources count; social assistance does not.

The undertaking

When you sponsor a parent or grandparent, you sign a sponsorship undertaking: a legal commitment to provide for their basic financial needs so they do not rely on government social assistance. This is not symbolic. If your parent or grandparent receives social assistance during the undertaking period, the government may pursue you for repayment.

For sponsors residing outside Quebec, the undertaking lasts 20 years from the date your parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident (as of mid-2026; check the current terms on the IRCC eligibility page before you apply, since these terms can change). For Quebec residents, the provincial undertaking is governed separately by the Ministere de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Integration (MIFI) and has different terms; Quebec applicants must also obtain provincial approval before the federal application can proceed.

The undertaking continues even if your circumstances change significantly: job loss, relationship breakdown, or other hardships do not cancel it. IRCC treats a default on a previous undertaking as grounds to refuse a future sponsorship application. Think carefully about the long-term commitment before you sign.

The Super Visa: an alternative while you wait

If your parents or grandparents are not selected in a PGP intake, or if you are waiting for an intake window to open, the Super Visa is the most practical way for them to spend extended time in Canada. It is not a path to permanent residence, but it allows stays of up to five years at a time on a multi-entry visa valid for up to 10 years.

The Super Visa does not depend on a lottery. It can be applied for at any time, as long as the sponsoring child or grandchild meets an income requirement (separate from the PGP income table) and the visitor has qualifying private Canadian health insurance. It is a visitor status: your parents cannot work, cannot access publicly funded healthcare, and must eventually leave Canada.

Many families use the Super Visa as a bridge: parents visit for long stretches while the family continues submitting interest-to-sponsor forms each intake cycle. If a PGP invitation eventually arrives, your parents can transition from Super Visa visitor to PR applicant through the sponsorship process.

The Super Visa guide covers the income requirement, the insurance requirement, and what to expect in detail.

Timelines and costs

IRCC publishes a processing time estimate for Parents and Grandparents Program applications. Processing times change frequently and depend on application volumes and IRCC capacity. The official estimate on the IRCC processing times tool always reflects the most current figures. If a live processing time badge is available for PGP on this page, it draws from the same IRCC data feed.

The fees for a PGP application include a sponsorship application fee, a principal applicant processing fee, and a right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) payable when the PR is confirmed. Because IRCC adjusts fees periodically, check the current fee schedule on the IRCC PGP page at the time you apply. Additional costs to plan for: biometrics (if not exempt), immigration medical examination, police certificates, and document translation if needed.

What to expect

If you have been submitting the interest form every intake and not being selected, that is genuinely painful. There is no good way to reframe a lottery that tells families to wait, again. Many sponsors describe years of submitting without being chosen, and the uncertainty of not knowing when or whether a window will open next. That feeling is real and it is a fair response to a system with more demand than supply.

What helps in the practical sense: stay current on IRCC announcements, because intake windows are often announced with very short notice. Subscribe to IRCC updates and watch the immigration community forums where windows are flagged quickly. Keep your Notices of Assessment current so you are ready to demonstrate your income the moment you receive an ITA. Make sure you understand the undertaking you are committing to before you sign.

If you do receive an invitation and submit a full application, the processing period brings a different kind of waiting: biometrics, medicals, background checks, and then the decision. Respond to any IRCC requests promptly, because delays in responding pause your file. Keep your documents organized and make sure police certificates and medicals remain valid when IRCC needs them.

The moment your parent or grandparent receives their COPR and lands in Canada as a permanent resident, the years of waiting crystallize into something lasting. Families who have been through this describe it as a milestone that carries a weight few other moments in the whole process do. That moment is possible and worth working toward.