Starting today, May 21st, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will begin issuing invitations to apply (ITAs) to sponsors who submitted “Interest to Sponsor” forms through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).

IRCC has started sending out 35,700 invitations over a two-week period starting May 21, with the hopes of approving 20,500 complete applications for permanent residence (PR). ITAs will be sent out to the email provided by the sponsor when initially submitting their “Interest to Sponsor” form.

Who is eligible to receive an invitation for the 2024 PGP?

• To be eligible to receive an invitation under the PGP this year, sponsors must:
• Have completed an Interest to Sponsor form on IRCC’s website in 2020;
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
• Be 18 years of age or older;
• Be residing in Canada (potential applicants will need to provide a proof of status during the Interest to Sponsor phase);
• Exceed the minimum necessary income level for this program (if married or in a common-law relationship, the income of both the sponsor and spouse can be included) and provide proof of income to IRCC; and
• Sign an undertaking:
  • to financially support the sponsored for 20 years (starting when they become permanent residents)—applicants in Quebec will need to sign an undertaking for 10 years; and
  • to repay any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members (if applicable) for a period of 20 years.

What steps should I take after receiving an ITA from the PGP?

Once an ITA is received, sponsors will need to respond with an application by the deadline outlined within the invitation email. Application fees must also be paid at this stage (generally starting $1,205 CAD).

Sponsors are advised by IRCC to read the complete instruction guide and complete the application package when preparing their application. Note that a complete application must be submitted to IRCC before the deadline stated in the invitation email. If an application is not complete, submitted late or completed incorrectly, this can yield complications and even outright refusal of your application, depending on the circumstances.

Applications will be returned if:

• They are incomplete;
• Fees are missing;
• They are submitted after the deadline stated in the ITA email;
• The applicant did not receive an ITA initially; and/or
• Information in the application does not match information provided in the “Interest to Sponsor” form.

Applications must be submitted through the Permanent Residence portal, or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal (if the sponsor is using the help of a representative).

What can sponsors do if they do not receive an ITA this year?

This year marks the fourth year in a row that the immigration department will only consider PGP candidates from the 2020 intake.

However, Canada’s immigration system does provide an alternate route to reunite Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their parents and grandparents: the Super Visa.

The Super Visa is a temporary resident stream that allows the parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to be sponsored to visit and live in Canada temporarily. As of June 2022, the Super Visa allows family members to visit Canada for up to five years at a time, without having to renew their status. Super Visa holders can also apply for an extension on their visa of up to two years, allowing a single stay of up to seven years at a time.

While the Super Visa only confers temporary resident status to parents and grandparents, it is an accessible pathway to bring family members to Canada—available year-round and with no limit on the number of applications processed by IRCC.