Canada’s 2025 Parents and Grandparents Program: Process, Eligibility & More

The new intake of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will begin on July 28, 2025, when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will provide thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with an opportunity to reunite with their loved ones. In this cycle, there are 17,860 invitations that will be issued within a two-week timeframe; however, balancing out the needs of the programs as well as the backlogs of application requests.

Canada PGP 2025 introduction

Family reunification is a very essential aspect of Canadian immigration policy. The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) does this by providing Canadian citizens, as well as permanent residents, with the chance to sponsor their parents or grandparents and attract them to settle permanently. The cycle for 2025 will be a draw over the pool of sponsors who completed an Interest to Sponsor form in 2020, making it easier to handle the huge queue to this desirable immigration stream.

Also Read: Canada’s New PR Pathway for Refugees & Displaced Talent 

Overview of Program and Enrollment Procedure

Here is the overview of program and enrollment procedure:

Key Details:

• Release: July 28, 2025

• Invitations: There will be 17,860 invitations sent in two weeks

• Acceptance Target: full 10,000 applications in this cycle

• Eligibility: The persons who filled out the Interest to Sponsor forms in 2020 are eligible. Protocols of 2025 will not accept any new entries.

Lottery System:

Such interest in PGP is overwhelming, ensuring that applications tremendously exceed the available spaces. To be fair, IRCC holds a lottery, whereby those deserving sponsors are chosen randomly based on the 2020 pool. All the chosen sponsors are provided with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and they should take action within the time frame indicated in their invitation.

What in Case of not Being Selected?

The persons who were not picked during the 2025 draw will still be eligible to be chosen in subsequent draws, provided they applied in 2020. The intake of New Interest is on hiatus.

Detailed Sponsor Eligibility Criteria

In order to sponsor parents or grandparents of PR using the 2025 PGP, you have to:

• Be at least 18 years of age.

• Either be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.

• Be in Canada during the time of the application and currently.

• Get an invitation to apply (ITA) by IRCC (based on the 2020 applications).

• Have an annual income meeting the last 3 years (2022-2024) low-income cut-off (LICO) of IRCC. If necessary, a partner can co-sign with spouses/common-law partners to gain access to combined income.

• Sign an undertaking to finance the sponsored family, for a certain term (20 years in most provinces, 10 in Quebec).

• Follow the immigration rules and regulations.

The sponsors have to submit documents of income (tax-related), evidence of relationship and fill in IRCC forms.

Also Read: Canada’s New Citizenship by Descent Bill: Game-Changer for Indian Diaspora

Post-Invitation Steps of Application

Here are the post invitation steps of the application:

• Keep a Lookout in your Inbox: Invitation cards will be sent to the email address in your 2020 form, paying particular attention to spam/junk folders with effect from July 28.

• Prepare Documents: Wholesome relationships evidence, evidence of income, and evidence of identity.

• Apply Online: Applications have to be received by means of the Permanent Residence Portal (or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal).

• Do What You Say: The invitation will state a deadline for the time your submission should be made; any application received after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.

• Review and Processing Applications: IRCC targets to have an application processed under 24 months (in countries outside Quebec), up to 48 months inside Quebec.

• Wait: Approved parents/grandparents are granted permanent resident status, which entitles them to the use of Canadian public services and future citizenship.

The Super Visa: An Alternative Route

To individuals who may not be successful in the current intake of PGP, the Super Visa offers an adequate solution:

1. Duration and Flexibility: It may last up to 10 years, and the maximum length of stay is 5 years. It is a multiple-visa-long (more than 6 months of the regular visitor visa).

2. Who is Eligible: The parents and the grandparents of only Canadian citizens/permanent residents (not even their brothers or other relatives).

3. Transformative Forces (2025):

• Evidence that this is a child/grandchild of a Canadian.

• The host is committed, through writing, to providing financial support.

• The host shall be an individual who has a Minimum Necessary Income (MNI).

• Medical insurance of at least 100,000 USD: By January 28, 2025, a Canadian or an IRCC-reviewed foreign insurer (must be covered and practice according to the standards of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions) may offer medical insurance.

• Candidates are supposed to meet a medical examination and be admissible to Canada.

• Outside Canada applicants.

What is the Reason to Consider It?

Ethnic quota is not present, and processing is mostly quicker than usual, and it is always available to those who are not selected in PGP yet.

Tips and Times of Processing

1. Averages of PGP Processing:

• Outside Quebec: Approximately two years.

• Quebec: Up to 48 months in case of independent quotas and provincial review

2. Best Practices:

• Prepare all of the documents beforehand.

• Check the email address that you were using last year, including every folder.

• Do not miss the chance because you forgot your invitation or you missed the deadlines; respond immediately when you get them.

• Tested: In the event that you have lost access to your previous email address, IRCC has in the past permitted sponsors to reclaim the confirmation numbers or to change the email address after that invitation, although policies can change

Responses and Policy Context

• Family reunification has remained the core foundation of the Canadian immigration policy, and the current low quotas imply that many immigrants have to wait several years before they can get an opportunity to have a PR.

• The lottery system is supposed to work to achieve fairness, but people who are not lucky pose disappointment.

• The ongoing postponement of the new Intake of Interest to Sponsor has also led some potential interest seekers to investigate the possibility of applying under the Super Visa plan, which has become less costly due to the opening of its doors to outside insurance companies.

• According to the stakeholders, they should focus on the time limits and utilisation of professional advice to increase the likelihood of success.

Also Read: How Immigrants in Canada Achieve Homeownership Faster?

Conclusion

The example of the 2025 Parents and Grandparents Program demonstrates that Canada is committed to family reunification and the balance between the demand and the capacity. Although the fact that the draw system does not allow everyone to be picked is true, the super visa offers an effective alternative for families who want to stay in Canada together. Being prepared, doing the investigation in advance regarding the papers, and paying attention to eligibility are also the keys to sailing through this demanding, yet fruitful process.

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