Parents & Grandparents Program Reopening

The Parents and Grandparents program (PGP) is gearing up for a reopening this month, with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) poised to dispatch invitations to potential sponsors.

According to an official announcement, the department will commence sending out 35,700 invitations from May 21st, 2024, with the aim of approving 20,500 complete applications. IRCC has specified its intention to extend invitations to candidates from the 2020 intake of the PGP. Consequently, individuals receiving invitations in the forthcoming round will have lodged their applications in 2020. This marks the fourth consecutive year in which the PGP exclusively considers applications submitted in 2020.

Under the PGP framework, applicants will be selected randomly via a lottery system. These invitations will be dispatched to sponsors via the email provided on their interest-to-sponsor form. Sponsors are encouraged to monitor their emails starting May 21st, with all invitations anticipated to be sent within approximately two weeks from this date.

Income Requirement Assessment:

For the 2024 intake, IRCC will assess sponsors and co-signers on their income for tax years 2023, 2022, and 2021.

Since many sponsors and co-signers may have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2021 tax year was reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

Sponsors and co-signers can also count these benefits in their income calculation for the 2021 tax year:

• regular Employment Insurance benefits (rather than just special Employment Insurance benefits)
• any Canada Emergency Response Benefits issued under the
  • Employment Insurance Act or
  • Canadian Emergency Response Benefit Act
• other temporary COVID-19 related benefits
  • as long as they’re not part of provincial or territorial social assistance programs

Note: This doesn’t apply to the income requirement for the 2023 or 2022 tax years, which is the minimum necessary income plus 30%.

If you are invited to apply: IRCC will post the “Check your invitation status” tool on their page on May 31, 2024. You’ll be able to use your confirmation number (the one you received when you submitted your 2020 interest to sponsor form) to find out if you’ve been invited to apply.

If you aren’t invited to apply: If you’d like your parents and grandparents to come to Canada, they 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.

If you submitted an interest to sponsor form, and received an invitation to apply, we are here to help you navigate the process smoothly and efficiently. Book a consultation with our office today!