PGP

The reopening of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) on May 21st highlights the ongoing limitations of the program. For the fourth year in a row, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will select applicants from the 2020 pool, leaving potential sponsors from subsequent years without an opportunity. However, the Super Visa offers an alternative route for Canadians to reunite with their loved ones.

If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you may be able to sponsor your parent or grandparent to come to Canada. Through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), your parent or grandparent will receive Canadian permanent residence and may eventually be able to apply for Canadian citizenship. 

Sponsoring a spouse or family member comes with an obligation to provide necessities of life for several years.

An undertaking legally ties a Canadian sponsor to their dependant, both financially and not.

How to sponsor your parents and grandparents to come to Canada through the PGP.

IRCC has indicated that more than 150,000 interested PGP sponsors remain from the group that submitted an expression of interest back in Fall 2020. Although there has yet to be any hint as to whether Canada will continue to draw from this candidate pool in 2023, the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan may provide some insight into how the PGP will work next year.

The next month will hold announcements for the Parents and Grandparents Program, Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025, Statistics Canada census data and more.

Parents and grandparents of Canadians can get multiple entries over a 10 year period to stay in Canada for up to two years at a time.

Canada’s Super Visa is a temporary visa that may be an attractive option for Canadians who wish to bring their foreign parents and grandparents to Canada.

The PGP is one of Canada's most popular immigration streams.In a March 14, 2022 email to CIC News, IRCC said it has yet to be determined when the application process for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2022 will open.