Parents & Grandparents Program (PGP)
How to sponsor your parents or grandparents for Permanent Residency in Canada under the IRCC lottery.
The PGP operates strictly on a **lottery system**. You cannot apply directly unless you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from IRCC. In recent intake years, IRCC has drawn invitations exclusively from the pool of candidates who submitted an Interest to Sponsor form during the October 2020 window, meaning no new intake profiles have been accepted.
Sponsor Eligibility Requirements
To sponsor your parent or grandparent, you (the sponsor) must meet four mandatory parameters:
- Age and Status: Be at least **18 years of age** and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
- Residency: Be living in Canada at the time of submission and throughout the application processing duration.
- The 20-Year Undertaking: Sign an undertaking agreement committing to support the sponsored parent financially for **20 years** starting from the date they become PR. You must repay any social assistance they receive during this period.
- Co-signer option: You can include your spouse or common-law partner as a co-signer to combine your incomes and meet the financial thresholds.
The 3-Year Income Threshold (LICO + 30%)
Sponsors must prove their annual income exceeds the **Low Income Cut-off (LICO) plus 30%** for each of the **three taxation years** preceding the application date. You must provide official CRA Notices of Assessment (NOA) for all three years:
- Family Size calculation: Your family size includes you (the sponsor), your spouse/dependents, the parent(s) you are sponsoring, and any dependents of the parents (even if they are not moving to Canada).
- Stable Income: Employment insurance (EI) benefits and social assistance do not count toward meeting the LICO requirements.
Alternative: The Super Visa Pathway
Because the PGP lottery has extremely low draw probabilities, most families use the **Super Visa** as a faster, non-lottery alternative:
- Immediate Access: Super Visa is a multi-entry visitor visa valid for 10 years, allowing parents to stay in Canada for up to **5 years per entry** (expandable to 7 years).
- Income Rules: Only requires meeting the standard LICO threshold for **1 year** (no 30% premium and no 3-year history requirement).
- Insurance: Requires buying a minimum 1-year Canadian private medical insurance policy.
This guide compiles official family sponsorship guidelines and income calculator rules sourced directly from:
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) PGP Sponsor Guide: canada.ca/pgp-sponsorship
• IRCC PGP Income Threshold Guidelines (LICO tables): canada.ca/pgp-lico-table