Immigration Update: 2024 Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program
*Note: This information is current to May 30, 2024
At the beginning of May, the Canadian Government announced that the Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program (PGP) would be opening again for 2024 on May 21, 2024.
It is important to note that this does not mean anyone interested in sponsoring their parents or grandparents to become Permanent Residents in Canada can now apply.
The PGP program is an invitation-based program where individuals must be invited by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to submit an application. Only those invited to apply are eligible for the program, and there is no humanitarian exception to the invitation requirement.
In previous years, IRCC has started the PGP program by asking interested individuals to complete and submit the “interest to sponsor” form. From that list, a certain number of people are then randomly selected and invited to make an application.
This year, as it has been for the last few years, IRCC is not asking for new “interest to sponsor” forms. Instead, invitations to apply are being sent out only to people who submitted the form in 2020.
For those who did not, or were ineligible to, submit an interest form in 2020, an application under the 2024 PGP program is not an option and should not be made. Other options on how to bring your parents/grandparents to Canada may be available – please consult the IRCC website or contact your local legal clinic for more information.
For those who submitted an “interest to sponsor” form in 2020, it is important to keep an eye on the method of communication you provided to IRCC to see if you are invited to make an application. Once an invitation is received, the deadline to apply is August 2, 2024.
IRCC is planning to send out 35,700 invitations with the goal of accepting 20,500 complete applications. More information about the 2024 program is available online here:
Guide 5772 – Application to Sponsor Parents and Grandparents – Canada.ca
For more information, or if you have questions about options available, please contact our Intake Line at 416-441-1764 ext. 1.