The parent and grandparent program (PGP) has been a sponsorship program through which foreign nationals can get their relatives across to Canada.
The Canadian government believes that immigrants and their families should be together in Canada, which is why they pride themselves on family reunification.
The Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) in the years 2017 and 2018, introduced a lottery system in which candidates were randomly selected. As of 2019, the Parent and Grandparent (PGP), returned to a first-come, first-served system.
During the selection process for the 2019 intake, Canadian citizens and permanent residents had to first submit an Interest to Sponsor form on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website.
From the vast form of interest submitted, IRCC will process 20,000 complete applications, inviting applications from candidates supporting the order during which their Interest to Sponsor forms are received.
If they receive a call of invitation to participate in the application, the candidate will have 90 days to submit a complete application.
The 2020 Parent and Grandparents Program lottery was supposed to take place by the end of December 2020 until 2021 due to the COVID-19.
The IRCC finally began issuing invitations for the Parents and Grandparents sponsorship program in January 2021. They then began to process up to 10,000 applications for this round following the delays.
In 2021 IRCC expects to grant up to 10,000 applications for the 2020 PGP. This suggests that 2021 may be a great year for the PGP.
In 2021, Canada is expected to issue up to 40,000 invitations in total. The actual plan was to issue this many invitations across 2020 and 2021.
However, due to coronavirus delaying the intake for 2021, all the invitations will occur this year.
The 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) has not yet been opened. Once it is opened, Canadian nationals and Canadian permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents in Canada will have to submit an interest to sponsor form online.
Requirement for Parents and Grandparent Sponsorship
To be eligible for this program, you’ll have to be ready to financially support your parents or grandparents. you’ll be liable for them from the time and day of entry into Canada. This includes catering for their basic needs like housing and food.
As a sponsor, it’s important that you make sure that your sponsored loved ones or family does not seek supportive assistance from the government.
Both the sponsor and sponsored person must meet certain requirements. This includes the sponsored person passing their medical examinations and background checks.
There requirements for a Canadian citizen to be able to sponsor one’s parents and grandparents to become a permanent resident in Canada includes
- You must at least be 18 years old and above.
- You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
Note: Sponsoring your parents and grandparents to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must: first meet certain income requirements, must be able to your parent and their dependents financially;
Meet the minimum necessary income level for this program by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their sponsorship;
as a sponsor, you must also demonstrate you have met the minimum necessary income level for three consecutive years. If married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both persons can be included;
both the sponsor and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits the sponsor to provide financial support for the sponsored person for up to 20 years.
How to Apply for Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP)
The following are the steps for applying to sponsor your parents and grandparents to become permanent residents in Canada.
- Submit your interest to sponsor form: This is the first to sponsor your Parents or Grandparents by filling out the interest to sponsor form. Once the form submission is closed, the forms are reviewed and duplicated forms are removed, only your last submission is accepted.
- Get an invitation to apply: constantly check your mail if you have been invited to apply.
- Get the application package: the application package includes; document checklist for you and the people you want to sponsor, forms for you and the people you want to sponsor need to fill out, instruction guide to help you and your family members fill out the forms correctly.
Ensure you read carefully the instructions before you complete the application. Make sure you are eligible, that all information provided is true,
- Pay your application fees: this includes processing fee for you, the person you are sponsoring and their dependents, biometrics fee and the Right of Permanent Resident Fee.
- Submit your application: completed applications are received within 60 days. The deadline is specified in your invitation.
Note that the application will be returned to you if:
it’s incomplete, fees are missing, you weren’t invited to submit a complete application, we didn’t receive it within the deadline specified in your invitation.
- Send us additional information during processing: During processing, the person you’re sponsoring will be asked to submit their medical exams, you may be asked to provide police certificates
You don’t have to include police certificates when you apply. You will be asked for them later in the process. You need a police certificate for the people being sponsored and each family member that is 18 or older (who isn’t already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident).
Police certificates are generally valid for 1 year from the date they’re issued.
Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents
The Super Visa allows eligible parents and grandparents whose children are Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit their families in Canada for up to two years without having to renew their status.
This visa allows them to enter Canada multiple times for up to 10 years.
The Super Visa is a popular option because it is available yearly and has lower income requirements than the Canadian parent and grandparent program.
The Super Visa is ideal for parents and grandparents living in countries that require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) for entry to Canada.
By obtaining the super visa, they will be able to travel freely between Canada and their country of residence without the worry and hassle of regularly re-applying for a TRV.
They may also apply using the same application process.
Instead of being issued a visa, however, they will be given an official letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that will authorize their visit for up to two years at their initial entry.
