Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship
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The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is the Family Class pathway that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. Successful applicants land as permanent residents, gain access to provincial healthcare after the residency-period waiting time, and become eligible for Canadian citizenship.
Demand for PGP consistently exceeds the annual cap that IRCC sets. Rather than running on a first-come basis, IRCC operates the program through an Interest to Sponsor (ITS) form and a randomized invitation system: those who submit the ITS are entered into a pool, and sponsors are randomly invited to apply. Many families wait several invitation cycles before being selected.
While PGP invitations are pending, the Super Visa is by far the strongest practical alternative — a 10-year multi-entry temporary resident visa specifically designed for parents and grandparents, allowing stays of up to 5 years per visit (recently extended from 2 years).
Halani Immigration Services Inc., led by Shoukat Qumruddin Halani, RCIC-IRB (CICC No. R711322), handles both pathways: PGP submissions when invitations come, Super Visa applications now, and the income-history work that supports either route.
PGP vs. Super Visa — Choosing the Right Pathway
Many families use both: Super Visa now to physically reunite, PGP when (or if) the invitation arrives. The two are not mutually exclusive, and a Super Visa does not weaken a future PGP application.
Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP)
- Leads to permanent residence
- Path to citizenship after residency requirement
- Provincial healthcare after waiting period
- Lottery-gated — invitations are randomized
- Income (MNI + 30%) required for 3 prior tax years
- Processing 24–36 months once submitted
Super Visa (TRV)
- Visitor visa, NOT permanent residence
- Valid up to 10 years (multiple entries)
- Each visit can be up to 5 years
- No lottery — apply any time
- Income (LICO) demonstrated for 1 year
- Private medical insurance required
- Processing 8–14 weeks typical
PGP Sponsor Eligibility
PGP sponsors face the most rigorous income test in family-class sponsorship. The sponsor must demonstrate income at or above the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) plus 30% for each of the three taxation years immediately preceding the application — and must commit to a 20-year financial undertaking (longer in Quebec).
- Sponsor must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian under the Indian Act
- Sponsor must be at least 18 and resident in Canada (or planning to return when sponsored persons land)
- Sponsor must meet MNI + 30% for each of the 3 taxation years before application — proven by Notices of Assessment from CRA
- Family size in the calculation includes the sponsor, spouse/partner, all dependants, AND every parent/grandparent (and their dependants) being sponsored
- Sponsor cannot be in default on a previous undertaking, immigration loan, court-ordered support, or be receiving social assistance (except disability)
- Sponsor signs a 20-year undertaking of financial support (40 years if applicant lands in Quebec)
What we handle
- Interest to Sponsor (ITS) registration during the annual intake window
- MNI calculation across required taxation years and family-size adjustments
- Notices of Assessment, T4s, and supporting tax documents
- Full PGP sponsorship + PR application after invitation
- Super Visa applications — letter of invitation, ties-to-home narrative, ITA-style submission
- Medical insurance coordination and policy compliance verification
- Procedural Fairness responses at the federal stage
- Re-applications after refusal for either pathway
Our Process — for both PGP and Super Visa
Family-size and income review
We calculate the required MNI (PGP) or LICO (Super Visa) based on your family size including sponsored persons, then review your last 3 years of Notices of Assessment to confirm eligibility before any fees are paid.
Pathway recommendation
Based on income, urgency, and goals, we recommend Super Visa, PGP, or both in parallel. Many families choose to file Super Visa applications now while waiting for a PGP invitation.
ITS / Super Visa submission
Either we submit the Interest to Sponsor when IRCC opens the PGP window, or we file the Super Visa application package immediately.
Post-invitation PGP package (if selected)
Once a PGP invitation arrives, we file the full sponsorship + PR package — IMM 1344, IMM 5532, IMM 5669, supporting tax documents, statutory declarations, and dependant documentation.
Document collection and submission
Police certificates from every country lived in 6+ months since age 18, IRCC medical exams, biometrics, and proof of relationship.
Post-submission follow-through
Procedural Fairness responses, requests for additional documentation, and the landing instructions through to permanent residence (PGP) or visa issuance (Super Visa).
Processing Times
Common Refusal Grounds
- PGP — sponsor income falls short of MNI + 30% in any of the 3 required tax years
- PGP — undeclared family members or inconsistencies between forms and supporting documents
- Super Visa — insufficient ties to home country (no property, no ongoing employment, no dependants left behind)
- Super Visa — medical insurance policy doesn't meet IRCC requirements (coverage amount, validity period, repatriation clause)
- Super Visa — sponsor's income evidence doesn't establish LICO
- Either pathway — applicant inadmissibility (criminal, medical, prior misrepresentation)
Why Choose Halani Immigration Services Inc.
PGP and Super Visa applications fail most often on documentation and framing — the income evidence, the ties-to-home narrative, the medical insurance policy interpretation. We have built every PGP and Super Visa file the same way for years: tight income chronology, defensible insurance, and a credible narrative for the deciding officer.
- RCIC-IRB licensed (CICC R711322)
- Cultural fluency for South Asian and Gulf families — we work in English, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati, and Katchi
- Both pathways under one retainer — Super Visa now and PGP when invited, no double-booking the income work
- Honest pre-assessment — if your income falls short, we will tell you exactly which year and by how much before any fee is charged
The Interest to Sponsor Process
IRCC is not currently opening a new Interest to Sponsor form each year. In recent PGP intakes, including the 2025 intake, IRCC selected potential sponsors from the remaining 2020 Interest to Sponsor pool instead of accepting new forms. For 2025, IRCC sent invitations starting 28 July 2025, and the intake is now closed.
Submitting an Interest to Sponsor form does not guarantee an invitation. Only those selected by IRCC can submit a complete PGP sponsorship application. If a sponsor is not invited, no PGP application can be filed, which is why the Super Visa remains the practical interim option for many parents and grandparents.
Super Visa Requirements (Detail)
The Super Visa is a long-term temporary resident visa for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or registered Indians. It can allow longer stays than a regular visitor visa, but officers must still be satisfied that the applicant is a genuine temporary resident and will leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay. Financial support, medical insurance, medical admissibility, and home-country ties remain central to approval.
- Eligible host in Canada: must be the applicant's child or grandchild, be at least 18 years old, live in Canada, and be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian.
- Minimum income requirement: the host must meet IRCC's minimum income requirement for the family size. Under the updated rules, income may be shown through recent CRA income evidence, and in some cases the visiting parent or grandparent's income may help cover the remaining amount if the host meets IRCC's required threshold.
- Letter of invitation from the host in Canada confirming the host's support, family size, relationship, and purpose of the visit.
- Proof of relationship to the host and proof that the host has valid Canadian status.
- Private medical insurance with at least $100,000 emergency coverage, valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry, covering health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. Quotes are not accepted; the policy must be paid in full or paid in instalments with a deposit.
- Insurance provider rules: insurance may be from a Canadian insurance company or from an eligible insurance company outside Canada that meets IRCC's requirements.
- Immigration medical examination by an IRCC-approved Panel Physician.
- Temporary resident factors: officers still assess whether the applicant will leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay. Strong home-country ties may include property, employment, pension, business, dependants, financial assets, community ties, and previous travel compliance.
- Application location requirement: the applicant must be outside Canada when submitting the Super Visa application and must have the visa printed by a visa office outside Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I apply for PGP or Super Visa?
How does the PGP lottery work?
What income do I need for PGP or Super Visa?
What medical insurance does Super Visa require?
Can my parent come to Canada while waiting for PGP?
Can a refused PGP or Super Visa be appealed?
Fees
Halani's PGP retainer typically falls in the CAD $3,500 to $5,000 range for a couple sponsoring two parents, depending on file complexity, income history, family size, dependants, prior refusals, and document issues. Super Visa retainers are typically around CAD $1,200 per parent. IRCC government fees are paid separately. For PGP, IRCC currently charges $1,260 per parent or grandparent, including sponsorship fee, processing fee, and RPRF. Biometrics are extra if required. For Super Visa, IRCC fees generally include the visitor visa fee and biometrics, if required. Biometrics are currently $85 per person or $170 maximum for a family applying together.
See full fee schedule