Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP): The Complete 2026 Guide

1. How the PGP Works

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is a permanent residence pathway that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to live in Canada as permanent residents. It is part of the Family Class immigration stream managed by IRCC.

The PGP is not a queue. It is not first-come, first-served. Since 2019, it operates as a random selection system: IRCC opens an annual "Interest to Sponsor" registration window, collects expressions of interest from eligible sponsors, and then randomly selects a subset of registrants to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Only those who receive an ITA can proceed to a full sponsorship application.

The reason for the lottery structure is straightforward: annual demand for PGP sponsorships vastly exceeds the annual allotment of spaces. In a typical year, IRCC receives several hundred thousand registrations for approximately 23,500 available spots — an acceptance rate that makes the PGP one of the most competitive immigration programs in Canada.

2. The Interest to Sponsor Process

The annual PGP process follows a fixed cycle:

Step 1: Registration window opens (typically January)

IRCC announces a specific window — usually approximately 1–2 weeks — during which eligible sponsors can register their interest online. Registration is free and requires only basic information: the sponsor's name, date of birth, contact information, and the relationship to the parent or grandparent being sponsored. At this stage, you are not submitting any documents or paying any fees.

Step 2: Random selection

After the window closes, IRCC randomly selects the target number of registrants to receive Invitations to Apply. The selection is genuinely random — registering multiple times, registering early within the window, or having previously been selected does not improve or reduce your chances in the current draw. Each eligible registration has an equal probability of selection.

Step 3: Invitation to Apply (ITA)

Selected registrants receive an ITA via email and must confirm acceptance within a short window. Confirming the ITA does not mean you are approved — it means you are invited to submit a complete sponsorship application.

Step 4: Submit the full application

Once you have accepted an ITA, you have a specified period (typically 90 days) to submit a complete sponsorship application including all forms, evidence of income (Notice of Assessment for 3 years), sponsor information, and the sponsored person's immigration forms. The government fees of CAD $1,085 (sponsorship + PR application combined) are paid at this stage.

Step 5: Processing and decision

Processing typically takes 12–24 months after a complete application is received. IRCC assesses the sponsor's income, the sponsored person's admissibility (health, security, criminal), and the genuineness of the family relationship.

If not selected

If you are not selected in a given year's draw, you simply register again in the following year. There is no penalty for not being selected. However, this means many families wait multiple years — patience and annual re-registration are the only options while waiting for the PGP, unless the Super Visa (Section 5) provides a suitable interim solution.

3. Income Requirement

The income threshold for PGP sponsorship is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30%. This is higher than the standard LICO used for most social benefit calculations. The sponsor must demonstrate this income level for each of the past 3 consecutive tax years using Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment documents.

LICO + 30% threshold examples (approximate 2025 figures)

Note: LICO thresholds are updated annually by Statistics Canada. The above figures are approximate and the exact threshold should be confirmed against the IRCC LICO table in effect at the time of application. The sponsor's spouse or common-law partner's income can be combined with the sponsor's income to meet the threshold if they have been cohabiting.

What counts as income

IRCC counts total income as reported on the Notice of Assessment — this includes employment income, self-employment income, rental income, government benefits, and investment income. The key document is the CRA NOA (line 15000 — Total income), not employment letters or pay stubs.

4. The 20-Year Undertaking

The PGP undertaking is 20 years — the longest sponsorship obligation in the Canadian immigration system, and one of the longest in any country's immigration framework. Signing the undertaking means:

• You accept financial responsibility for your sponsored parent's or grandparent's basic needs for 20 years from the date they receive PR
• If the sponsored person receives federal or provincial social assistance during this period, the government may seek reimbursement from you
• The undertaking cannot be cancelled, suspended, or modified for any reason — including separation, divorce, bankruptcy, job loss, illness, or your own emigration from Canada
• If you default on the undertaking (i.e., the government cannot recover costs owed by you), you become ineligible to sponsor any person in the future

Financial planning for the undertaking

The practical implication of the 20-year undertaking is that sponsors should assess their long-term financial stability before submitting a PGP application. A sponsor who loses employment, divorces, or faces significant financial change in year 5 of the undertaking remains liable for the remaining 15 years. It is worth discussing this obligation explicitly with family members before proceeding, including the sponsored parents — some parents prefer the Super Visa precisely because it does not create this financial dependency structure.

5. The Super Visa: An Alternative to PGP

For families who want parents or grandparents in Canada without committing to permanent residence, the Super Visa provides a long-term temporary option:

• Valid for up to 10 years (multi-entry)
• Each visit can last up to 5 years at a time (increased from 2 years in 2022)
• Can be renewed or extended from within Canada
• Does not lead to permanent residency
• No lottery — eligible applicants can apply any time

Super Visa requirements

• Applicant must be a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or PR
• The Canadian child/grandchild must provide a letter of invitation confirming the visit and the relationship
• The Canadian child/grandchild must demonstrate income meeting LICO + 30% for the current year (not 3 years)
• The applicant must obtain Canadian medical insurance of at least CAD $100,000 for minimum 1 year from a Canadian insurance company
• No criminal or inadmissibility issues

6. PGP vs. Super Visa: Comparison

For many families, the Super Visa is used as an interim measure while waiting for a PGP selection — it provides extended visits of up to 5 years, which can cover multiple years of waiting for the lottery to succeed, without the 20-year financial obligation of the PGP undertaking.