The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence. Unlike spousal sponsorship, which can be filed at any time once eligibility is met, the PGP typically operates through a limited annual intake process, since IRCC caps the number of new sponsorship applications it accepts each year.
How the intake process generally works
In recent years, IRCC has used an “interest to sponsor” form, where prospective sponsors submit their information during a specified window and are then randomly selected from that pool and invited to submit a full application. Being selected is not the same as being approved — it simply grants the opportunity to apply within a set deadline. Because the format and timing of intake has changed from year to year, prospective sponsors should confirm the current process directly with IRCC rather than relying on past cycles.
The financial requirement
Sponsors must meet a minimum necessary income (MNI) threshold, assessed using their income over a set number of recent tax years, and this requirement is generally higher than for other sponsorship categories because it accounts for the sponsor's household size including the parents or grandparents being sponsored. A co-signer, such as a spouse, may be able to combine income with the sponsor to help meet the threshold, depending on current program rules.
What sponsors commit to
Sponsoring a parent or grandparent involves signing an undertaking — a legal commitment to financially support the sponsored person for a set number of years after they become a permanent resident, regardless of changes in the relationship or the sponsor's own financial circumstances. This is a meaningful, binding obligation and should be considered carefully before applying.
If you're not selected, or can't wait
Given the limited intake and long processing times, many families use the Super Visa as a nearer-term way to bring parents and grandparents to Canada for extended visits while a PGP application is pending or before one is even possible. It is a different type of status, not a path to permanent residence itself, but it addresses the immediate goal of reunification for many families.