When compared to January 2022, the number of permanent residents who entered Canada through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) grew by over 60%. In January 2023, the PGP received 2,065 new permanent residents, up from 1,300 in January 2022.
Canada plans to use the PGP to bring in 28,500 permanent residents by 2023. 27,255 permanent residents entered Canada through the PGP in 2022, a 132% increase over the 11,740 that entered in 2021.
The goal of Canada’s Immigration Level Plans 2023–2025 is to accept 465,000 permanent immigrants in 2023. 50,885 new permanent residents arrived in Canada in January 2023, over 44 percent more than the 35,450 immigrants who arrived in January of the previous year.
106,500 permanent residents will fall under the family sponsorship category of the immigration target for 2023. Under the PGP, family sponsorship comprises parents, grandparents, spouses, common-law partners, and children. 13,000 immigrants have previously entered Canada through the PGP and spousal/child sponsorship.
How the PGP functions
The ability to sponsor the immigration of one’s parents or grandparents to Canada is available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. A parent or grandparent will be given permanent residence in Canada if they are accepted through this program, and they may eventually be capable of applying for citizenship in Canada.
In the past, sponsors had to have complied with the following requirements in order to be eligible for the PGP:
- between November 3, 2020 (12:00 PM EST) and October 13, 2020 (12:00 PM EDT), you must have filled out an Interest to Sponsor form on the IRCC website.
- a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, a citizen of Canada, or a permanent resident of Canada;
- age 18 or older; Canadian residency (possible applicants will be required to present documentation of residency during the Interest to Sponsor phase);
- exceed the minimum required income level for this program (if married or living with someone in a common-law relationship, the sponsor’s and spouse’s income may be included) and present IRCC with proof of income;
- sign a promise to provide the sponsored with financial support for 20 years (beginning when they become permanent residents) and, if applicable, to return any social assistance benefits paid to the sponsored family members, for the same 20-year period.
- an additional “undertaking” with the province of Quebec must be signed if the sponsor is a Quebec resident.
The 2023 PGP has not yet been given specifics by IRCC. Previous years’ prospective sponsors who received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through the PGP were chosen at random by IRCC using a lottery mechanism.
Since 2020, all ITAs for the PGP have been granted to candidates who indicated a desire to sponsor through the PGP between October and November 2020. In October 2022, the last PGP lottery was held.
Super Visa
The Super Visa, an alternative to the PGP, enables grandparents and parents of Canadian citizens to enter the country as guests for up to five years after their original trip without having to reapply for status.
Parents and grandparents who now have a Super Visa will be eligible to request an extension, which could grant them permission to stay in Canada as visitors for up to seven years. They can also enter Canada several times for a period of up to ten years. All year long, the Super Visa is accessible.
Parents and grandparents who reside in a nation where a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) is necessary for admission into Canada have the option of applying for a Super Visa.
Parents and grandparents from nations that are exempt from a TRV, such as the United States, can also benefit from the Super Visa. Canadian residents may enter and stay for up to six months at a time. Visitors can enter Canada and stay for up to 5 years each admission with the Super Visa.
The application procedure is comparable to the TRV procedure, but additional proof of support for parents and grandparents throughout their stay in Canada is needed. These consist of:
- an invitation letter from a grandchild or child living in Canada;
- evidence that the grandchild or child satisfies the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) standard;
- proof of a parent-child or grandparent relationship, such as a birth certificate designating the person as a parent; and Evidence of medical insurance coverage with a Canadian insurance provider for at least a year.
