Parent Sponsorship (PGP)

No 2026 intake has been announced by IRCC. Its official page states that no new interest to sponsor forms will be accepted and no invitations will go out until further notice.

The interest to sponsor form was a short way of telling IRCC you wanted to sponsor. IRCC would then choose some of the people who submitted it and invite them to apply. That invitation to apply is a letter that gives you permission to send in a full sponsorship application.

You cannot apply unless you receive an invitation. Send one anyway and IRCC will return your application. That is why IRCC tells people to hold off on the application until an invitation arrives.

The people invited in 2025 were those who had submitted the interest to sponsor form back in 2020. Here are the key figures IRCC shared on its apply page:

That deadline has passed, so if you weren't invited in 2025, you can't apply for now. It's disappointing, but a super visa can still let your parents spend long stretches with you while you wait.

To be a sponsor, you must get an invitation to apply and be 18 or older, and you must meet the other conditions IRCC sets out. On top of that, you sign an undertaking, which is a promise in writing to support the people you are sponsoring.

You might not qualify if, for instance, a removal order means you are not allowed to remain in Canada lawfully. When IRCC decides you cannot sponsor, it explains its reasons.

Quebec adds its own conditions on top of IRCC's. First, IRCC must send you a letter saying you qualify as a sponsor. Then you have to meet Quebec's conditions, which include:

• being a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• residing in Quebec
• being 18 or older
• showing you kept your past sponsorship promises
• not having taken last-resort financial assistance, unless age or a disability that seriously limits your ability to work was the reason
• not facing a deportation order from the Government of Canada, and not serving time in a prison or penitentiary

Quebec names certain criminal convictions too, a sexual offence among them, that stop you from sponsoring. The exceptions are being finally acquitted in your case or having your criminal record suspended.

Invited applicants in 2025 submitted two things: one application to become a sponsor, and one for the parent's or grandparent's permanent residence. Both were submitted through the PR portal, and IRCC needed to have them by the deadline printed in the invitation letter.

The sponsor's forms were PDFs. The parent or grandparent completed digital forms online, and every family member supplied one photo. Any dependant 18 or older needed their own set of certain forms too, whether or not they planned to come to Canada. IRCC's Instruction Guide walks you through completing every form.

If applying online was not possible for you, your parent, or your representative, say, because of a disability, you could ask IRCC to send the package as paper copies, in braille, or with large print instead.

Outside Quebec, IRCC's posted processing time for parents and grandparents is about 28 months. This is today's posted figure and it changes over time, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a date for your own file.

A super visa may be an option for your parents and grandparents. It is a visitor visa that lets them remain in Canada for up to five years per visit. They can also request extensions of two years while they are in Canada.

An immigration consultant or lawyer can advise you and assist with your application, for a fee. If you'd like to talk your situation through, you can also call us (calls may be recorded); this site shares information, not immigration advice. Should you wish to have that person deal with IRCC for you, IRCC sets out steps you must follow to appoint them.