How does the Parents and Grandparents Program work now?
This article covered the 2019 reopening of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). The programme still runs the same way in principle: IRCC opens an interest-to-sponsor window, then invites a limited number of sponsors from that pool to submit a full application. The income requirement, the pool used, and the number of invitations are set fresh for each round — so the rules that applied in 2019 are a guide to the process, not to the current numbers.
| Parents & Grandparents Program | Super Visa |
|---|
| What you get | Permanent residence | Visits up to 5 years per entry |
| Availability | Periodic intake, limited invitations | Year-round |
| Income test | Minimum necessary income for 3 tax years | Income plus private medical insurance |
| Best for | Families wanting permanent settlement | Families needing parents here soon |
Who counts as a parent or grandparent
The programme covers your own parents and grandparents, and your spouse or partner’s parents and grandparents — including adoptive and, in some cases, step relationships. Their spouse or partner and their dependent children can normally be included on the same application, so a sponsorship is often for several people rather than one, which is exactly why the income threshold rises with the number of people involved. Aunts, uncles, siblings and cousins are not eligible under this programme.
If your application is refused
A refused parent or grandparent sponsorship is not necessarily the end. Sponsors generally have a right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division, and that appeal is a fresh hearing: you can file new evidence and testify. Where the refusal was based on income, updated notices of assessment or a co-signer’s income can change the picture; where it was based on a medical or admissibility issue affecting the person you are sponsoring, humanitarian and compassionate factors can be argued. The deadline to file is short — often 30 days — so the decision to appeal has to be made quickly.
What the undertaking actually commits you to
Sponsoring a parent or grandparent is a long financial commitment, and it is worth understanding before you apply. The sponsor signs an undertaking to provide for the sponsored person’s basic needs — normally for 20 years for a parent or grandparent, far longer than the three years that applies to a spouse. If the person you sponsored receives social assistance during that period, the government can require you to repay it, and the undertaking does not end if your circumstances change, if you separate, or if the relationship breaks down. Being in default on a previous undertaking also disqualifies you from sponsoring again.
What to do while the intake is closed
Two things are worth doing before a window opens. First, get your income position in order: the test looks back over three tax years of notices of assessment, so a decision to report income differently this year affects an application two years from now. Second, use the Super Visa in the meantime — it does not grant permanent residence, but it lets parents and grandparents stay for long periods, and using it does not prevent you from submitting an interest-to-sponsor form later.
Sponsorship applications are filed with IRCC and Karb Law’s legal team assists with the full process. If an application is refused, we represent clients on sponsorship appeals at the IAD — see sponsorship matters or request a free assessment.
