Parents Sponsorship
Overview
Canada's Family Class sponsorship program includes a dedicated stream for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Successful applicants under this program receive Canadian permanent residence, which may eventually lead to eligibility for Canadian citizenship.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), an individual must meet the following criteria:
Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
Be 18 years of age or older.
Reside in Canada (applicants must provide proof of status during the Interest to Sponsor phase).
Exceed the minimum necessary income level for the program (income of both the sponsor and spouse can be included if married or in a common-law relationship) and provide proof of income to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Sign an undertaking:
To financially support the sponsored individual for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents.
To repay any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members (if applicable) for a period of 20 years.
If the sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional undertaking must be signed with the province of Quebec.
Applicants must prove that they meet the minimum income requirements by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) as part of their application.
PGP Updates for 2019
In an effort to streamline the application process, IRCC replaced the randomized application process with a first-in, first-served model for the 2019 intake cycle.
IRCC set a quota of up to 20,000 complete applications for the PGP in 2019. Invitations to apply to the program were issued based on the order Interest to Sponsor forms were received, once the forms were reviewed for eligibility.
Completing the online Interest to Sponsor Form on IRCC's website was the initial step in the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship process.
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