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2023 Canada Parents and Grandparents Program Details
Starting today, Canada has begun the process of distributing invitations to apply for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
The task of sending invitations to 24,200 potential sponsors has been undertaken by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), with the goal of collecting 15,000 fully completed applications within a fortnight. This batch of invitations is exclusively for those families whose potential sponsors have already expressed their interest by submitting the requisite forms.
This initiative was revealed by IRCC a month earlier. The organization has clarified that, owing to the surplus forms from 2020 still pending, the invitations will be extended to a randomly chosen set of potential sponsors from the existing pool, negating the need for a new round of interest to sponsor forms, as indicated on their official website.
This modus operandi mirrors the strategy employed during the 2021 and 2022 application periods. IRCC urges those who filled the interest to sponsor forms in 2020 but didn’t receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the subsequent two years to review the contact information they provided.
Potential applicants receiving invitations in the 2023 cycle will use the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal for electronic submission, as confirmed by IRCC. This progress is in line with ongoing efforts to enhance and speed up immigration application processes in Canada.
PGP is based on a lottery system. Interested Canadian citizens and permanent residents participate by submitting interest in a sponsorship form, after which they enter a pool. From this group, IRCC randomly selects individuals and extends ITA.
Upon receipt, sponsors, along with their parents or grandparents, are allotted a 60-day timeframe to compile and submit their comprehensive applications. Eligibility criteria for sponsors include:
- • being 18 or above,
- • residing in Canada,
- • possessing Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or registration as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- • In addition, they must demonstrate financial sufficiency over the past three years to support their invitees, with the option to add a co-signer to combine income.
Sponsors pledge to financially support the invited parents or grandparents for two decades following their permanent residence approval and to compensate the government for any social assistance received during this period.
For sponsors residing in Quebec, adherence to the Quebec immigration sponsorship protocols is mandatory post their endorsement by IRCC. The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) evaluates the sponsor’s financial standing and mandates the signing of an undertaking.
Super Visa remains a beneficial option for those who have not received an ITA.
Citizens and permanent residents have the option to sponsor their parents and grandparents, whether they are related biologically or through adoption. Additionally, in the event of divorce or separation, spouses or common-law partners of parents and grandparents may also be sponsored.
Siblings and step-siblings are eligible under the category of fully dependent children. Joint sponsorship is permitted, provided financial standards are met.
IRCC underscores the Super Visa’s utility, a multiple-entry visa that remains valid for a decade, as a solution for those not receiving invitations in the current cycle, facilitating extended family reunions in Canada.
