Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program  (PGP)

Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)

Benefits of Parents and Grandparents (PGP)

The Parents and Grandparents Program opens once a year. It lets citizens and permanent residents of Canada  sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada. Once they meet the eligibility criteria, your parents and grandparents can enjoy the full benefits of Canadian permanent residence, including the ability to work in Canada, obtain health care, enjoy full protection under Canadian law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and apply to become Canadian citizens.

Eligibility Requirements

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if

• you’re invited to apply

• you’re at least 18 years old

• you live in Canada

• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act

• you have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor

  • to show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income

  • you may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign to combine your incomes

• you meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

If you live outside Quebec

To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially support the people you are sponsoring for a period of time. We call this promise an undertaking.

The undertaking commits you to

• providing financial support for your sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents

• repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) your sponsored family members get during that time

Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.

The sponsorship agreement means that

• you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members, including

• • food

  • clothing

  • utilities

  • personal requirements

  • shelter

  • fuel

  • household supplies

  • health care not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care

• the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members

This agreement is still valid, and you must still cover basic needs for the period it covers, even in the case of

• marriage ending, separation or divorce

• family rifts

• unemployment

• change in finances

• death of the main applicant, if you also sponsor their family members

When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.

How to apply

If you’re invited to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents, there are 2 applications:

1. You must apply to become a sponsor.

2. Your parents or grandparents must apply for permanent residence.

Submit both the sponsorship and the permanent residence applications together online at the same time.

If you’re invited to apply, IRCC will email you using the email address on your interest to sponsor form.