The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is Canada's family sponsorship program that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence. Unlike the super visa (which is a temporary resident visa), a PGP sponsorship, if approved, results in the parent or grandparent becoming a Canadian permanent resident. The PGP has very limited annual intake — managed through an expression of interest process — and has significant wait times due to demand far exceeding available spots.

As of January 1, 2026, no new PGP applications are being accepted until further Ministerial Instructions are issued. Approximately 54,000 interest to sponsor forms from the 2020 pool remain. For current program status and next intake information, refer to the IRCC PGP page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), s 13 and IRPR, s 117 — family class sponsorship framework including parents and grandparents
• Ministerial Instructions 89 (MI89) — current authority for PGP intake and processing — canada.ca/mi89
• IRCC: Sponsor your parents and grandparents — canada.ca/sponsor-parents-grandparents
• IRCC: PGP income requirements — canada.ca/pgp-income-requirements
• Guide 5772 — Application to Sponsor Parents and Grandparents — canada.ca/guide-5772

How the expression of interest process works

The PGP does not use a direct application system — it uses an expression of interest (interest to sponsor) process followed by an invitation to apply. The process works as follows:

1. Interest to sponsor form: When IRCC opens the intake, eligible sponsors submit an interest to sponsor form online. The form registers interest but does not start the sponsorship application.
2. Random selection: IRCC randomly selects sponsors from the pool of interest to sponsor forms received and sends them invitations to apply. The number of invitations is determined by the annual intake cap.
3. Application within deadline: Invited sponsors must submit a complete sponsorship application within the specified deadline (typically around 60 days).
4. IRCC processing: IRCC processes the sponsorship application and the parent/grandparent's permanent residence application. Both must meet all eligibility and admissibility requirements.

The interest to sponsor form was last open from October 13 to November 3, 2020. All subsequent intakes have drawn from the pool of forms submitted during that window. After the 2025 intake (17,860 invitations sent from July 28, 2025, with a goal of 10,000 complete applications accepted, closing October 9, 2025), approximately 54,000 interest to sponsor forms remain in the pool.

Current status — no new applications as of January 2026

Under Ministerial Instructions 89 (MI89), effective January 1, 2026:

• IRCC has authority to accept up to 10,000 applications received as part of the 2025 intake in 2026 (i.e., processing 2025 applications continues)
• No new permanent residence applications by parents or grandparents are being accepted until further Ministerial Instructions are issued
• The next intake date has not been announced

For the latest update on when the next PGP intake will open, refer to the IRCC PGP page and IRCC social media channels.

Sponsor eligibility

To sponsor a parent or grandparent, the sponsor must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (temporary residents cannot sponsor)
• Be at least 18 years old
• Live in Canada (permanent residents must live in Canada to sponsor)
• Meet the minimum necessary income (LICO) threshold for 3 consecutive tax years immediately before applying
• Not be subject to any sponsorship bars — see the sponsorship bars page

Income requirement — LICO for 3 years

The sponsor must demonstrate they meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) — plus 30% — for the 3 consecutive tax years immediately before the sponsorship application date. The LICO threshold is based on the size of the sponsor's household (including all persons the sponsor is already financially responsible for under prior sponsorships, plus the sponsored parents/grandparents). Proof of income comes from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) documents for the 3 tax years — Notice of Assessment or Option C printout. For current LICO income threshold amounts, refer to the IRCC PGP income requirements page and the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) page.

Sponsorship undertaking — 20 years

A sponsor of a parent or grandparent signs a sponsorship undertaking committing to financially support the sponsored person for 20 years. This is the longest undertaking in the Canadian sponsorship framework — the undertaking for a spouse is 3 years, and for a child it is 10 years. The undertaking means that if the sponsored parent or grandparent receives social assistance during the 20-year period, the sponsor may be required to repay the government. For more detail, see the sponsorship undertaking page.

PGP vs. super visa

The PGP and the super visa serve different purposes:

• PGP: Permanent residence; parent/grandparent becomes a Canadian PR with full rights; very limited annual intake; subject to the 20-year sponsorship undertaking; significant processing times
• Super visa: Multiple-entry temporary resident visa; allows stays of up to 5 years per visit; parent/grandparent remains a citizen/permanent resident of their home country; no cap on applications; requires private health insurance; does not lead to PR

Many families use the super visa while waiting for PGP sponsorship to be processed or approved. The super visa is also used by families where permanent residence is not the goal. See the super visa page for details.

The PGP is heavily oversubscribed relative to annual intake — the demand for parent and grandparent sponsorship is far higher than the 10,000 applications accepted per intake cycle. The random selection process (rather than first-come-first-served or points-based) means that eligible sponsors may wait multiple years before being selected. The 2020 interest to sponsor pool (approximately 54,000 forms remaining after 2025 invitations) will continue to be drawn from for future intakes unless IRCC opens a new interest to sponsor form period. For current program status, next intake date, income thresholds, and processing times, refer to the IRCC PGP page.