Canada's Family Class sponsorship program includes a stream dedicated to parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Parents and grandparents approved under this program receive Canadian permanent residence and may eventually be able to apply for Canadian citizenship.
To be eligible for Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program, an individual must meet:
Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;.
Be 18 years of age or older;
Be residing in Canada (potential applicants will need to provide a proof of status during the Interest to Sponsor phase);
Exceed the minimum necessary income level for this program (if married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both the sponsor and spouse can be included) and provide proof of income to IRCC; and
Sign an undertaking
- to financially support the sponsored for 20 years (starting when they become permanent residents); and
- 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 to the PGP will have to prove that they meet the minimum income requirements by submitting notices of assessment issued by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in support of their application.
In an effort to improve the application process, IRCC replaced its controversial randomized application process with a first-in, first-served model for the 2019 in-take cycle.
IRCC has a 2019 quota of up to 20,000 complete applications through the PGP. Invitations to apply to the program will be issued based on the order Interest to Sponsor forms were received once the forms are reviewed for eligibility.
Completing the online Interest to Sponsor Form on IRCC's website was the first step to the Parent and Grandparent sponsorship process.