Immigration Update: New plans for the 2025 Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program
*Note: The below information is current as of April 8, 2025*
In February, we posted an update that starting January 1, 2025, the Government of Canada had decided to pause the acceptance of Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship applications for the year.
However, on March 7, 2025, the government changed their plans, announcing instead that new invitations to apply would be sent out to potential Sponsors, on an undisclosed future date this year.
Still, 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 to 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 2025 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; 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.
Please see the announcement from IRCC: Update on 2025 Parents and Grandparents Program – Canada.ca
For more information, or if you have questions about options available for you, please contact DVCLS at 416-441-1764 ext. 1.