Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship
Canada

Bring Your Parents or Grandparents to Canada With a Stronger Plan

Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship, often called the PGP program, allows eligible Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and certain registered persons under the Indian Act to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence. The goal sounds simple: reunite your family. The reality, however, requires careful planning. Income calculations, family-size rules, application windows, supporting records, and consistency across every form all matter. A file can look complete at first glance and still fall apart when an officer compares your tax history, household size, previous immigration records, and identity documents. YS Canada Visa Serviceshelps families approach Parent Sponsorship Canada cases with strategy from day one. We review whether you qualify, explain current Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship fees, assess risks, organize proof, and help present a file that is easy for IRCC to understand.

What Is the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program?

The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program is a permanent residence pathway for eligible parents and grandparents of sponsors in Canada. When approved, the sponsored parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident and can live in Canada long term. This route differs from the Super Visa because the Super Visa is temporary visitor status, while PGP sponsorship leads to permanent residence. IRCC usually runs the program through an invitation system. Sponsors first need to be part of the intake process and then receive an invitation to apply before they can submit a full sponsorship package. Because invitation opportunities can be limited, families benefit from preparing eligibility and supporting documents well in advance.

Who Can Sponsor Parents or Grandparents in Canada?

To sponsor parents or grandparents, the sponsor generally must be at least 18 years old, meet the required status rules, live in Canada for the purpose of the application, receive an invitation to apply when the intake process requires one, and meet the minimum necessary income for the relevant years. Income is one of the biggest pressure points in a parent sponsorship file. IRCC calculates family size carefully, so a sponsor needs to count not only themselves but also their spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, people already covered by another undertaking, and the parent or grandparent now being sponsored. A single mistake in that family-size count can affect whether the sponsor appears eligible.

Government Fees for Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship

Government fees can change, so sponsors should verify them before submission. Based on the current IRCC fee list, the standard government fees appear below. For one parent or grandparent without accompanying dependants, the core IRCC fees usually total $1,205, plus biometrics where required. Medical exams, police certificates, translations, and representation are separate costs.

Fee item	Current amount	Notes
Sponsorship fee	$85	Paid by the sponsor.
Principal applicant processing fee	$545	For the parent or grandparent being sponsored.
Right of permanent residence fee	$575	Many families pay it up front to reduce later delay.
Biometrics fee	$85 per person	Required in many cases.
Accompanying spouse or partner	$1,210	Processing fee plus right of permanent residence fee.
Dependent child	$175 per child	If an eligible dependent child is included.

Admissions Planning Snapshot

IRCC’s successive Immigration Levels Plans have reduced the planned admissions target for the Parents and Grandparents category in recent years. The chart below shows the published targets from the 2024–2026, 2025–2027, and 2026–2028 federal Levels Plans. Fewer planned admissions do not make sponsorship impossible, but they do make preparation and timing more important.

Common-Law Sponsorship: Recent Basics You Should Know

Although this page focuses on Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship, many families also ask about common-law sponsorship because different family-based immigration options can overlap in one household. Under current IRCC guidance, a common-law partner is someone who is not legally married to the sponsor, is 18 or older, and has lived with the sponsor for at least 12 consecutive months in a marriage-like relationship. Short and temporary absences for work, business travel, or family obligations may still fit that definition if the couple kept a shared household and the separation remained temporary. Evidence matters. Leases, shared bills, bank records, insurance documents, photographs, and consistent address history usually make a common-law file stronger. If a spouse or common-law partner will co-sign a Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship application to help meet the income requirement, accuracy becomes even more important.

Why Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Applications Are Refused

Refusals usually do not happen because one single page is missing. Officers often refuse applications because the overall file does not feel reliable, complete, or easy to approve. Parent sponsorship refusals can stem from income that falls below the required threshold, family-size errors, incomplete forms, missing civil documents, overlooked signature fields, late responses to IRCC requests, unexplained differences between forms and tax records, or supporting documents that do not line up with the story presented in the application. In some cases, the problem is not the law but the presentation. Families submit a stack of records, yet the file still leaves the officer with unanswered questions. That is why refusal prevention starts with structure. A strong application should show who is sponsoring whom, why the relationship qualifies, how the sponsor meets the income rules, and whether every supporting record points in the same direction. The more clarity and consistency you provide, the easier it becomes for the officer to approve the case without doubt.

How to Make Your Application Stronger

• Review Notices of Assessment for the last three required tax years before doing anything else.

• Calculate family size carefully and document how you reached that number.

• Use consistent names, dates, marital status, addresses, and family details across every form.

• Gather civil status records early, especially older birth certificates, marriage records, and relationship documents from abroad.

• Translate non-English or non-French records properly and completely.

• Respond to IRCC requests quickly and in an organized way.

• Address weak areas directly instead of hoping an officer will overlook them.

Business Travel vs Leisure Travel: Why Purpose Matters

Families often ask about bringing parents to Canada on a visitor visa or Super Visa while long-term options are being planned. In temporary entry cases, the purpose of travel matters. IRCC expects applicants to show a clear reason for the trip, enough money for the stay, and evidence that they will leave Canada at the end of their authorized visit. In practice, applications built around structured business travel sometimes present more objective documents than pure leisure travel: invitation letters, event registrations, meeting agendas, host-company details, and shorter defined timelines. Leisure travel can still succeed, but it often requires stronger evidence of ties, finances, travel history, and return plans. For that reason, when a file involves business rather than vacation, the purpose can sometimes be easier to document and easier for an officer to assess. Every case still turns on the full evidence package, not the label alone.

Parent Sponsorship vs Super Visa

Question	Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship	Super Visa
Type of status	Permanent residence	Temporary resident status
Main goal	Long-term family reunification	Extended visits to Canada
Income rule	Three tax years of minimum necessary income	Host must meet Super Visa income rules; changes are scheduled for March 31, 2026
Medical insurance	Not part of the PR fee structure	Required for the Super Visa
Best for	Families seeking permanent settlement	Families needing a temporary visit solution

Book a Consultation

If you want to sponsor your parents or grandparents to Canada, do not leave the application to chance. Let us review your eligibility, explain the current PGP rules, identify weak areas, and help you prepare a stronger case from the start. Call us today to book your consultation with YS Canada Visa Services.

Content prepared for marketing and general information purposes. IRCC rules, fees, intake practices, and program volumes can change. Families should obtain case-specific advice before filing.