Sponsor your Parent & Grandparent

Family reunification is an essential component of Canada’s immigration system, and the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is one way through which the government can achieve this. The government launched the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program to build on the initiatives to prioritize 49,000 family sponsorship applications by December 31, 2020. During the 2020 invitation to submit an interest to sponsor form online, a maximum of 10,000 applications was accepted for processing as part of the 2020 PGP intake. The IRCC plans to open a new intake of interest to sponsor forms to receive 30,000 new applications in 2021. The government has increased the number of people who can apply, making the intake process fairer, and hope to steadily increase the number of families who will be able to reunite.

Sponsors must meet specific eligibility requirements to sponsor their parents and grandparents to Canada as permanent residents.

Data source: 2019 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration

Data Source: Supplementary Information 2019-2021 Immigration Levels Plan. 2019-2021 Immigration Levels Plan

Candidates for this program are parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada whose child or grandchild wishes to become a permanent resident in Canada.

    ONLINE

• The first step in sponsoring your parents and grandparent is to submit your interest to the sponsor form. The form is only available at a specific time of the year. In 2021, IRCC will open the interest to sponsor form to accept 30,000 new applications. You will receive a confirmation number when you submit your form. IRCC randomly selects and invites potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents. You will receive an email if invited to apply.

PAPER-BASED

• The second step is to submit your sponsorship application if you receive an invitation to apply. You have 60 days to submit your application. Application for  Parent and Grandparent sponsorship is a paper-based application. There are two applications; the sponsor’s application and parent and transparent application for permanent residence.

To submit your application, read the instruction guide carefully. After that, fill out all the necessary forms, validate and sign the forms, gather all your supporting documents, pay your application fees, check your application for completeness, and finally submit your application by mail or through courier service. You can find the mailing instruction in the guide. Follow this link for the mailing address.

The estimated cost per Adult is $1,050 and $150 per child; follow this link to see the updated Fees table. 

Breakdown of the fees below.

Your parents or grandparents must give their biometrics for permanent residence applications.  Fingerprints and photos will be taken. Visit this link to learn more about how to give your Biometrics. Estimated Cost – $85 Individual, $170 Family.

The standard processing time for parents and grandparents is 20 to 24 months.

On the 5th of October, 2020, The Honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the details for the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program with an objective to further build the government’s commitment to reuniting families. Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada as permanent residents were given the opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form online over a period of 3 weeks. The Government of Canada announces details for opening the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program.