Licensed Canadian immigration guidance
The PGP is the dedicated pathway for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence. Because demand consistently exceeds the annual intake, IRCC selects sponsors through a randomized interest-to-sponsor process rather than first-come, first-served.
Guidance on Canadian immigration options and the documents each pathway may require.
What we handle
A sharper service plan
Use the guide below to review Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) requirements, evidence and next steps.
Start with the facts, goals, history and deadlines that shape the route.
Organize evidence, explanations and forms around the decision-maker’s concern.
Keep ownership, communication and the next deadline visible from start to finish.
A visual route guide
Use the visual guide to explore Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP); the written sections explain the requirements and evidence to check.
A strong pathway keeps the people you love moving toward the same future.
The right plan creates more room for the moments that matter most.
Clear advice turns a shared goal into a practical next step.
Every detail helps tell a complete, credible story to the decision-maker.
Picture the life your pathway is helping you build.
Your future can take shape in the community that fits you best.
A new beginning feels different when it starts to feel like home.
One thoughtful step today can change where tomorrow begins.
What this service covers
Jump to the section that matches your current question about Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP).
Talk through your fileSponsors must meet the Minimum Necessary Income — the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus a 30% buffer — averaged across the three most recent tax…
For sponsors who aren't selected in the PGP lottery, or who want a faster route, the Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit for up…
The Parents and Grandparents Program Canada is an invitation-based family sponsorship route when IRCC opens an intake. Potential sponsors must…
Check the intake status and invitation process first. Then review sponsor eligibility, family size, income history, co-signing rules and the…
Your service guide
The sections below explain Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) and point to the details to verify before applying.
The PGP is the dedicated pathway for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence. Because demand consistently exceeds the annual intake, IRCC selects sponsors through a randomized interest-to-sponsor process rather than first-come, first-served.
A quick look at the numbers
This summary of the key figures summarizes headline scores, points, timelines or pathway facts for Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP). Use it as a quick reference, then compare the relevant rows with your status, documents and intended application date.
Confirm any score, fee, date or requirement against the IRCC family sponsorship guide before relying on it. IRCC family sponsorship guide.
Key figures at a glance
Quick referenceBefore you work through the requirements
This application requirements table summarizes the sequence, documents and decisions needed for the route for Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP). Use it as a quick reference, then compare the relevant rows with your status, documents and intended application date.
Confirm any score, fee, date or requirement against the IRCC family sponsorship guide before relying on it. IRCC family sponsorship guide.
Application timeline Sequence and requirements | |
|---|---|
| Step | What happens |
| 1. Interest to sponsor | Submitted during IRCC's annual intake window |
| 2. Random selection | IRCC randomly selects a limited number of sponsors from all interest submissions |
| 3. Invitation | Selected sponsors are invited to submit a full application within a set deadline |
| 4. Full application | Sponsor income and relationship documentation submitted for assessment |
Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP): The correct family sponsorship route depends on the legal relationship category, sponsor eligibility, undertaking, relationship history, civil records, family composition and admissibility evidence. Spousal, partner, child, parent and grandparent applications use different tests, so match the documents to the exact category instead of relying on a universal family checklist.
For this page, compare 1. Interest to sponsor and 2. Random selection with the applicant's records and the current instructions that control Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP).
Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP): The practical next step is to label the relationship evidence by time period and verify the sponsor, undertaking, medical, police and translation requirements.
Sponsors must meet the Minimum Necessary Income — the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus a 30% buffer — averaged across the three most recent tax years, scaled to household size including the parents/grandparents being sponsored.
For sponsors who aren't selected in the PGP lottery, or who want a faster route, the Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit for up to 5 years per entry without becoming permanent residents — a common interim or alternative option.
The Parents and Grandparents Program Canada is an invitation-based family sponsorship route when IRCC opens an intake. Potential sponsors must meet the program’s requirements, receive an invitation when applicable, and show the required income and undertaking. A Super Visa is a separate temporary option and should not be treated as the same application.
Check the intake status and invitation process first. Then review sponsor eligibility, family size, income history, co-signing rules and the undertaking period, while keeping a separate plan for parents or grandparents who need temporary visits.
Keep the application record ready before an intake opens, but verify the current IRCC instructions because invitation processes, forms, fees and income requirements can change. Compare the Super Visa only after confirming the family’s actual travel and residence needs.
Use the IRCC family sponsorship guide as the final reference for current requirements. Rules, program openings, fees, forms and processing information can change, so check the source date and compare it with the facts in your file before relying on this guide.
Prepare for the Parents and Grandparents Program by separating the invitation process, sponsor eligibility, income history, undertaking and applicant admissibility. The program may be intake-controlled, so a family should verify the current opening and instructions rather than rely on a previous year’s checklist.
A Super Visa may address a temporary family-visit goal, while PGP is a permanent-residence sponsorship route. Compare the family’s desired outcome, travel pattern, financial capacity, medical evidence and timing before choosing between the two.
For Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP), start by checking relationship category, sponsor eligibility, undertaking, family history, admissibility and relationship evidence. A Brampton applicant should connect those facts to the current route instructions and keep the evidence consistent across forms, records and deadlines. The page can explain the pathway, but the decision-maker applies the current rules to the applicant’s personal facts.
A focused Brampton review of Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) should identify the first decision, the evidence gap that could change the route and the deadline that needs protecting. Compare the page with the IRCC family sponsorship guide and keep any consultation focused on the facts that the selected pathway actually tests.
Before relying on family sponsorship consultant in Brampton for Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP), check relationship category, sponsor eligibility, undertaking, family history, admissibility and relationship evidence against the current IRCC family sponsorship guide. Search results and tools can help you frame the question, but they cannot replace the decision-maker’s rules or a complete review of your personal facts.
If you are preparing a Parents and Grandparents Program application from the United Kingdom, read the companion guide to this page: Canada immigration from the UK. It covers how UK-based families approach the program, and when the Super Visa is the more realistic option, plus the UK police certificates, an IRCC panel physician in the UK and a GBP-to-CAD funds history that this route expects.
Clear answers, before you decide
Get a concise answer about this pathway and what to verify before you take the next step.
IRCC paused intake of new PGP applications on July 15, 2026. It is not receiving new interest-to-sponsor forms or inviting new sponsors until further notice, but it continues to process existing applications. Check the live IRCC notice before relying on a future intake date.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents Program intake notice
A sponsor must meet the program’s status, age, residence, relationship and undertaking requirements. PGP invitations are limited to people selected under an intake; because new invitations are currently paused, do not send an application without following IRCC’s instructions for the intake that applies to you.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
The PGP minimum necessary income depends on family size and the tax years IRCC specifies for the applicable intake. The threshold can change, so confirm the required years and amount in the current guide and compare them with the sponsor’s Canada Revenue Agency notices of assessment.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
Yes. IRCC instructs potential sponsors to apply only if invited. Meeting the income threshold does not replace an invitation; an application sent without one can be returned. Follow the deadline and submission instructions in the invitation letter.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
A spouse or common-law partner may be able to co-sign and combine income if they meet the program’s relationship and undertaking requirements. Both people become responsible for the sponsorship undertaking. Check the current guide for the accepted co-signer and income evidence.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
A Super Visa may let eligible parents or grandparents visit for up to five years per entry, with a possible two-year extension from inside Canada. It is temporary status, not permanent-residence sponsorship. IRCC changed the host-income calculation in 2026, so check the current Super Visa income and insurance rules.
Official source: IRCC Super Visa for parents and grandparents
IRCC generally assesses sponsor income using tax information for the applicable years, alongside family-size details and the required forms. Use the current intake guide to confirm acceptable Canada Revenue Agency records and any additional evidence instead of relying on a previous year’s checklist.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
Use the IRCC online account or application-status tool linked to your file and respond to requests by their stated deadlines. Processing targets do not guarantee a specific decision date for an individual application.
Official source: IRCC Parents and Grandparents sponsorship guide
Bring the key dates and records behind your question to a focused review.
Keep exploring your pathway
Compare Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP) with the related tools and pathways linked below.
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