Parents & Grandparents
The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) allows citizens and permanent residents to sponsor parents and grandparents for permanent residence, with access to benefits available to permanent residents.
Sponsors must be 18+, reside in Canada, meet minimum necessary income for the three taxation years before applying, and sign a 20-year undertaking (10 years in Quebec) including repayment of social assistance. IRCC manages an invitation-based intake.
Cohen Visa advises on income qualification, invitations, undertakings, and documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the Parents and Grandparents Program
IRCC typically opens an interest-to-sponsor period and randomly invites selected sponsors to apply within a limited time. Rules, caps, and dates change each year; prospective sponsors must monitor official instructions and be ready with income evidence when invited.
Sponsors must meet the minimum necessary income (MNI) for their family size for each of the three taxation years required in the invitation instructions, using documents such as notices of assessment or other proof IRCC specifies. Quebec has separate financial rules.
Outside Quebec, sponsors sign a 20-year undertaking to repay any social assistance paid to sponsored relatives during that period. In Quebec, provincial undertakings are generally 10 years. Sponsors remain financially responsible even if circumstances change, subject to regulations.
Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor their biological or adopted parents and grandparents when they receive an invitation and meet eligibility, subject to medical, criminal, and other admissibility requirements for the applicants.
A Super Visa is a long-stay visitor option for parents and grandparents that does not confer permanent residence. Cohen Visa can compare PGP, Super Visa, and other strategies for your family.
We assess sponsor eligibility and income, prepare the application after invitation, advise on undertakings and forms, and coordinate supporting documents for sponsors and parents or grandparents.