Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)
Statutory definition
IRPR s 133 requires sponsors of parents and grandparents to meet minimum necessary income (MNI) thresholds based on family size and the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO). Sponsors must have met the MNI for the 3 consecutive years preceding the application. The PGP annual intake cap is set by the IRCC Annual Levels Plan; in recent years, the government has used an expression of interest (lottery) system to select sponsors who may submit applications.
Explanation
The PGP is one of the most oversubscribed immigration programs in Canada. The annual intake cap (typically 15,000–30,000 persons) is far below demand, meaning that most eligible sponsors must wait multiple years or fail multiple lottery rounds before being selected. An alternative is the Super Visa, which provides a 10-year multiple-entry visitor visa for parents and grandparents — though this is a temporary, not permanent, solution. The sponsorship undertaking for parents and grandparents is 20 years, which is the longest of any family class undertaking.