July 18, 2025

Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program 2025 – How to Sponsor Your Parents to Canada

Posted by Hannah Cho - Bellissimo Law Group PC

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will begin accepting up to 10,000 complete applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) starting 28 July 2025. This program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency in Canada. Approved individuals will be able to live, work, and access public benefits in Canada as permanent residents.

The PGP program allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. Once approved, your parents or grandparents will be able to live, work, and access healthcare and other benefits as Canadian permanent residents.

PGP 2025: Who Can Apply?

IRCC will not accept new Interest to Sponsor forms in 2025. Instead:

  • Invitations to Apply (ITAs) will come from the existing pool of submissions collected in 2020

  • Only those who submitted an Interest to Sponsor form in 2020 are eligible for selection

  • IRCC will issue 17,860 ITAs over a two-week period, using a random draw

  • This is the same process IRCC has followed between 2020 and 2024

Eligibility Requirements for PGP Sponsors

To sponsor your parents or grandparents to Canada under the PGP 2025, you must:

  • Receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from IRCC

  • Be 18 years of age or older

  • Live in Canada when applying and during the application process

  • Have legal status as one of the following:

    • Canadian citizen

    • Permanent resident

    • Registered under the Canadian Indian Act

Financial Requirements for Sponsorship

To qualify under the Parents and Grandparents Program Canada:

  • You must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for the last three taxation years (2022, 2023, 2024)

  • You can combine income with your spouse or common-law partner if they agree to co-sign

  • You must sign an undertaking, committing to financially support your parents/grandparents for a specified period

  • You must comply with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and related regulations

PGP 2025 Application Process

If you submitted an Interest to Sponsor form in 2020:

  • Monitor your email (check spam/junk folders) for an Invitation to Apply

  • If you receive an ITA, submit your online application via:

    • Permanent Residence Portal, or

    • Representative Portal (if using an immigration lawyer or consultant)

  • Submit a complete and accurate application to avoid delays or refusal

What Documents Should You Prepare?

Due to high demand and limited spots, prepare early:

  • Tax assessments (2022, 2023, 2024)

  • Proof of relationship (e.g., birth certificates)

  • Government-issued ID

Not Selected for PGP 2025?

If you are not selected this time, or if you plan to sponsor your family in the future:

Hannah Cho

Hannah graduated from the J.D. program at Western Law in 2023.  While in law school, Hannah was the Vice-President of the Western Law Charter Society, where she organized and moderated panel discussions on pressing legal issues concerning the Canadian Constitution and Charter rights.  She also volunteered as a Student Clinician at the Law Student Legal Advice Program in British Columbia, where she gained experience handling a wide range of legal matters, including residential tenancy, employment and human rights law Before law school, Hannah received her B.A. (Hons.) with distinction from the University of Toronto, St. George, in Criminology and Book and Media Studies.

Prior to joining Bellissimo Law Group PC, Hannah worked as a student-at-law at a private immigration law firm, where she gained experience in Canadian immigration law by working on a range of matters including temporary residency applications, work permit applications, applications for permanent residence based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, and she has also co-written several articles on immigration law for platforms such as Law360 and International Law News.

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