Canada is set to open the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) on 21 May 2024. IRCC has announced it and there are expected sponsorships up to 35,700.
IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada) prepares to send invitations to eligible sponsors. The department is aiming to receive 20,500 complete applications.
What is the Parent and Grandparents Program (PGP)?
Canadian citizens or permanent residents can sponsor their parents or grandparents to apply for the PR. This program is a part of the family reunification. The starting cost of this program is $1,205.
The sponsors must sign an undertaking stating that they would support their parents and grandparents financially for a minimum of 20 years. For Quebec, this undertaking is for 10 years commitment.
Eligibility criteria for PGP 2024
IRCC has announced that it will send invitations to the applicants who applied for the program back in 2020. This is the fourth consecutive year that the department has issued invitations for the applications submitted back in 2020.
Applicants who submitted their applications for PGP must check the email address that they mentioned on the sponsors’s form starting from 21st May 2024. You were also provided a confirmation number if you applied back in 2020, this could also be used to check your invitation status from 21 May 2024.
Interested applicants, if they are eligible for the program must fill online sponsor form on IRCC’s website. To be eligible for this year’s lottery system, you must not have received ITA in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
On the day of reopening and the subsequent two weeks after this, you should check your email if you have received the ITA.
If you have been provided ITA, follow the instructions mentioned on it, and are all good to apply for the PR on IRCC’s permanent residency portal.
Eligibility factors
The detailed information of criteria on the PGP website must be fulfilled by the applicants;
- The applicant must be:
- Minimum of 18 years old;
- Permanent citizen of Canada;
- having access to enough financial resources to sponsor their parents and grandparents;
- The applicants will first make a framework of all expenses according to income and will estimate whether he/she can afford them or not. The applicant will give a verification of the salary to prove that he can afford all the expenditures of his/her parents and grandparents;
- The applicant must have to fulfill the criteria of “Minimum Necessary Income” (MNI)—without it, the application will be rejected. The IRCC will examine all the data of the MNI of the applicant of the previous 3 years;
- The Canadian applicants will have to provide proof of income to support their parents and grandparents for the 3 years.
How does PGP work?
The PGP works on a lottery-based system. Interested applicants are sent invitations to apply for their parents or grandparents for PR. After a successful invitation is received, the applicants have 60 days to apply for permanent residency in Canada. Once the applications are submitted, IRCC aims to process them in 112 days. Depending on individual situations, it could however take more time.
Who can be sponsored?
If they’re eligible as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you can sponsor:
- your parents and grandparents, (real or adopted);
- the dependent children of your parents and grandparents;
- if your parents or grandparents are divorced, their current spouse, common-law partner, or conjugal partner;
- You’ll need to submit separate applications for your divorced parents.
- If your parents or grandparents are separated and not divorced, you’ll need to submit one application for them because they’re still married.
Applicants living in Quebec
If you live in Quebec and your sponsorship application is approved you will be sent an undertaking application. You then will have to send it to the Quebec Ministry responsible for immigration. You must not send the undertaking application to the Quebec authorities until you are asked to do so.
If you do not receive an ITA
The candidates who do not get an invitation to sponsor their parents and grandparents can have another visa option called ”Super Visa”. This allowed their parents and grandparents to apply for this 10-year multiple-entry visa.