How to Sponsor your Parents and Grandparents to Canada?

If you want to sponsor your parents and grandparents to Canada, then the PGP (Parents and Grandparents Program) is an invaluable opportunity. As announced by IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) earlier, they have already started sending out invitations since May 21st, 2024, to potential sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form in the year of 2020. Over about two weeks, 35,700 invitations were sent out with the intent to accept up to 20,500 complete applications. 

Application deadline: If you’re invited to apply, you need to submit a complete application by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 2, 2024. If you submitted a sponsor form in 2020, be sure to check your email for invitations. If you didn’t get an invitation, you can apply for a Super Visa as an alternative. It can allow your parents or grandparents to visit for an extended period of 5 years as well.  

What are the responsibilities as a sponsor of your parents or grandparents? 

Sponsoring your parents and grandparents implies that one is willing to give financial support to the persons concerned and their dependents. How long this will last depend on which application you choose. This period is also called Undertaking, and it will commence from the time when they become permanent residents. During this period, you must ensure they do not need social assistance. If they do, you will have to pay back the amount, and you won’t be able to sponsor anyone else until you have done so.  

By agreeing to sponsor, this means you commit to support the basic requirements of the relative irrespective of changes in your financial position or theirs and whether you or those being sponsored change residence to another province or even country. A sponsor will also be required to sign a sponsorship agreement. This will ensure that you will provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members. This covers, among other things, food, clothing, and shelter needs of everyday life, as well as dental and eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services. The persons you are sponsoring also must agree to make every effort to support themselves and their family members. 

To sponsor your parents and grandparents, you must: 

• Be at least 18 years old 
• Live in Canada (your primary residence must be in Canada when you submit your application and until a decision is made) 
• Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act 
• Have sufficient income to support the people you want to sponsor, which can be demonstrated through proof of income. You may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign the application to combine incomes 
• Meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations 

You may not be eligible to sponsor if you: 

• Are in jail, prison, or penitentiary 
• Have not paid back an immigration loan, performance bond, or court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support 
• Have not met the terms of a previous sponsorship agreement 
• Have declared bankruptcy and are not discharged 
• Receive social assistance for reasons other than disability 
• Were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative, or any sexual offence 
• Cannot legally stay in Canada and must leave the country due to a Removal Order 

Please note that you can sponsor both parents if they are a couple. You can designate one parent as the principal applicant and the other as a dependent. If you have siblings, you can include them only if they qualify as dependent children. If they do not meet the requirements, they must apply separately. 

For your grandparents, you may designate one as the principal applicant and the other as a dependent. Once you designate the principal applicant, it cannot be changed after submission, so it is recommended to do it wisely. 

You cannot sponsor your spouse or common-law partner’s parents and grandparents (your in-laws). However, if your spouse or partner receives their own invitation to apply, you can co-sign their application.

P.S – It’s important to note that you cannot sponsor someone who is inadmissible to Canada. 

How can Nanda and Associate Lawyers help you? 

We specialize in navigating the complexities of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). Other than providing comprehensive legal guidance, we also ensure that you meet all eligibility requirements along with assisting you with the preparation and submission of your application.  

Our expertise in immigration law will help you address any issues that arise in your immigration process. For example, if PGP does not work out for you, we can also help you with the Super Visa, which is an alternative pathway for long-term family visits. 

Call us at 905-405-0199 and get a no obligation cost quote today! 

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