The Parents & Grandparents program invitations have been sent out. IRCC will begin issuing ITAs to sponsors who submitted ‘Interest to sponsor’ forms through this program. 

IRCC will send out over 36,700 invitations over a two-week period with the hope of approving 20,500 complete applications for permanent residence. ITA will be sent to the email provided by the sponsor when initially submitting their ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form. 

Who Is Eligible To Obtain An Invitation For The PGP 2024? 

The sponsors who are eligible under the PGP must: 

  • Have completed an Interest to Sponsor form on the official website of IRCC, 2020
  • Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a registered Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
  • Be 18 years of age or older. 
  • Be residing in Canada. 
  • Exceed the minimum necessary income level for the program. 
  • Sign an undertaking: 
  • To financially support the sponsored for a minimum of 20 years  – applicants in Quebec will need to sign an undertaking for ten years. 
  • To repay any social assistance benefits/ advantages paid to the sponsored family members for a period of 20 years
  • If a sponsor resides in Quebec, an additional ‘undertaking’ should be signed with the province of Quebec. 

What Step Should One Take After Obtaining An ITA From The PGP?

Parents & Grandparents program invitations are sent out. Once an ITA is obtained, sponsors will need to respond with an application by the deadline highlighted within the invitation mail. Application fees must also be paid at this stage. 

Moreover, sponsors are advised by IRCC to read the complete instruction guide & complete the application package when preparing their application. Note that a complete application must be submitted to IRCC before the deadline stated in the invitation email. If an application is not complete, incorrectly completed, or submitted late, this can yield complications & even outright refusal of your application, depending upon the circumstances. 

Applications will be returned if: 

  • They are incomplete 
  • Fees are missing
  • They are submitted after the deadline stated in the ITA email
  • The applicant did not receive an ITA initially 
  • Information in the application does not match the information provided in the ‘Interest to sponsor’ form

Applications must be submitted via the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal.      

What Can Sponsors Do If They Do Not Receive An ITA This Year? 

This year marks the fourth year in a row that the immigration department will only consider PGP applicants from the 2020 intake. 

However, Canada’s immigration system does not provide an alternate route to reunite Canadian citizens & permanent residents with their parents & grandparents: the Super Visa. 

The Super Visa is a temporary resident stream that enables parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens & permanent residents to be sponsored to live in Canada temporarily. As of June 2022, the Super Visa allows family members to visit Canada for up to five years at a time without having to renew their status. Super Visa holders can also apply for an extension on their visa of up to two years, allowing a single stay of up to seven years at a time. 

The Super Visa only confers temporary resident status to parents and grandparents. Well, it is an accessible pathway to bringing family members to Canada.