Bringing parents to Canada permanently is one of the many dreams of sons and daughters after becoming permanent residents themselves.
Once a foreigner gets the Canada PR status, they can sponsor their parents and apply for their permanent residency under ‘The Parents and Grandparents Program’, which is a sponsorship program for parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.
However, the Parents and Grandparents Program is only by invitation. The sponsors who had filled up the form have started receiving these invitations to apply for their parents’ PR status.
Starting July 28, 2025, IRCC is inviting potential sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 to apply for the 2025 intake under Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program.
The IRCC will send invitations to potential sponsors from the existing pool of interest to sponsor submissions from 2020 instead of opening a new interest to sponsor form.
Canada is set to send 17,860 invitations over a period of two weeks, with a final acceptance of 10,000 complete applications.
The deadline for submitting applications for Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program is October 9, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Individuals who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 but have not yet received an invitation to apply are advised to check their email account and ensure they have cleared their junk and spam folders.
The 2025 intake invites applicants to submit their applications electronically via the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal.
If you’re invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, there are 2 applications:
Sponsorship application: You must apply to become a sponsor.
Permanent residence application: Your parents and grandparents must apply for permanent residence.
The principal applicant (the person you’re sponsoring) will submit both applications together online using the Permanent Residence (PR) Portal. If more than 1 parent or grandparent is applying on their own as a principal applicant, they must create their portal account and submit their application.
As of February 5, 2025, PGP Program application processing times for applicants outside Quebec are 24 months, while Quebec-destined applicants face 48 months due to the province’s limited family class admission targets.
Application fees start from $1,205 and you may be required to pay Processing fees, Right of permanent residence fee, Biometrics fee, and Third-party fees.
Eligibility Conditions
One can sponsor their parents and grandparents if one is already a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.
To be a sponsor, you must have sufficient funds to support all family members, including yourself, and meet income requirements for each of the three tax years before applying.
To sponsor someone, sign an undertaking, commit to financially supporting them for a specified period, typically 20 years for parents and grandparents, and 10 years for Quebec residents.
Income required for the 3 tax years before you apply for the 2025 intake is $47,549 for 2 people and $58,456 for 3 people, going up to $70,972 for 4 people.
Super Visa for Parents
If you aren’t invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, your parents and grandparents may be eligible to apply for a ‘super visa‘, which lets them stay in Canada for 5 years at a time. Parents and grandparents visiting on a super visa can also apply for 2-year extensions to their stay while they’re still in Canada.
