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Parents and Grandparents Program Update: What You Need to Know

By: Mariam Baher

As we previously announced, the Parents and Grandparents sponsorship pathway to permanent residency remains closed to new applications. However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that later this year, invitations to apply (ITAs) will be issued to individuals who submitted their applications before the program’s pause was announced.

How Many Applications Will Be Processed?

In the previous announcement, IRCC proposed that 15,000 parent and grandparent sponsorship applications would be processed in 2025. However, in the recent update, IRCC changed that intake number and stated that they now plan to accept a maximum of 10,000 sponsorship applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). This is primarily due to the reason that there is a long list of applicants already waiting for an ITA.

Who Will Receive Invitations?

Since the PGP program has temporarily paused the acceptance of new applications, this news only applies to current applicants who submitted an interest to sponsor form before the announced pause and have been in the candidate pool since 2020. IRCC will randomly select candidates from this pool to send ITAs to. You will not receive an ITA if you apply at this time, as intake is closed and priority is given to candidates who have already submitted their interest to sponsor form(s).

Alternative Route to Bring Grand Parents and Parents to Canada

If you would still like to reunite with your parent(s) and/or grandparent(s) for extended periods of time despite the program’s temporary pause, the Super Visa is a promising alternative to the PGP pathway.

Other Canadian immigration pathways such as Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are great programs and may be ideal for certain individuals however, the Super Visa program is more comparable to the Parents and Grandparent program due to its flexibility and extended stay duration.

The Super Visa Program

The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to five years per entry, and are permitted multiple entries for a duration of up to 10 years. Super Visa’s can be renewed once the initial period concludes as indicated on the visa.

As we stated in a previous article, the Super Visa program has become more accessible and attainable for parents and grandparents who would otherwise be ineligible to apply to the program based on previous guidelines. Parents and grandparents can now obtain private health insurance from non-Canadian insurers to meet the program’s “proof of insurance” component of the application.

The revision of this requirement gives families more flexibility when choosing an insurance coverage that best suits their situation by simplifying the process and making it more efficient and cost-effective for the applicant.

Stay Informed

We will continue to monitor updates from IRCC regarding the official date for the issuance of ITAs under the PGP. Any further announcements, including details about the potential reopening of the program, will be reported as soon as they become available, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter below to not miss any important news.