IRCC announced that they will invite a record number of people to apply under the 2021 intake of the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program. IRCC will accept up to 30,000 additional applications.

Process

The steps to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents are a bit different for the 2021 process. IRCC has randomly selected and invited potential sponsors from the remaining pool of interest to sponsor forms submitted in 2020.

Invitations to apply sent over the course of 2 weeks, starting the week of September 20, 2021, from September 23 to October 4, 2021.

Those invited to apply uses IRCC’s new Permanent Resident Digital Intake tool, which applications to be submitted electronically. Those invited to apply have 60 days to submit their application.

If you’re invited to apply, there are 2 applications that are submitted and reviewed for the parents and grandparents program:

• the sponsorship application and
• the permanent residence application

If both applications are approved, you’ll sign an agreement called an undertaking that starts on the day the person you’re sponsoring (and their family members, if this applies) becomes a permanent resident of Canada.

Those invited to apply will have 60 calendar days to prepare and submit the application.

Requirements

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if

• you’re invited to apply
• you’re at least 18 years old
• you live in Canada
• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• you have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor
• to show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income
• you may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign to combine your incomes
• you meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

You, the sponsor (and your co-signer, if you have one) must prove you have enough income to support all the people you’ll be financially responsible for once you become a sponsor. This includes yourself.

If you’re invited to apply, you have to provide proof that you meet the income requirements for each of the 3 tax years before the date you apply.

For the 2021 Parents and Grandparents program, IRCC will assess sponsors on their income for tax years 2020, 2019 and 2018.

This table applies to you if you live in any province except Quebec. If you live in Quebec, the Quebec ministry in charge of immigration will assess your income.

Income required for the 3 tax years right before the day you apply (sponsors applying in 2021)

Total number of people you’ll be responsible for	2020	2019	2018
2 people	$32,270	$41,007	$40,379
3 people	$39,672	$50,414	$49,641
4 people	$48,167	$61,209	$60,271
5 people	$54,630	$69,423	68,358
6 people	$61,613	$78,296	$77,095
7 people	$68,598	$87,172	$85,835
If more than 7 people, for each additional person, add:	$6,985	$8,876	$8,740