The Parents and Grandparents Program in Canada provides permanent residency to qualified applicants through a draw system is a popular alternative to sponsor your family. The last call for filing an 'Interest to Sponsor' form was in 2020. Recently, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it was still processing applications from people who received invitations to apply. In the next three years, Canada's yearly immigration intake through the Parents and Grandparents Program is expected to triple.

What is Canada’s Parent and Grandparents Super Visa?

Canada’s Family Class immigration category allows all Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s) through the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program. Sponsored parents and grandparents can become permanent residents of Canada. This includes all the benefits that come along with a permanent residency like, the right to live and work in Canada without restriction on location, time, or sector, as well as access to publicly-funded health care and other services. The sponsored parents and grandparents can also eventually apply for Canadian citizenship.

What is the Income requirement criteria for Parent and Grandparents Super Visa?

The applicant must meet the minimum income requirements mentioned below for any province or territory other than Quebec. The following people need to be taken into consideration before calculating the number of people the applicant if financially responsible for:

• the sponsor;
• the sponsor’s spouse or common-law partner (they can be co-signers on your application);
• the sponsor’s dependent children;
• the sponsor’s spouse’s or partner’s dependent children;
• any other person the sponsor may have previously sponsored and whom they are still financially responsible for;
• the parents and grandparents their dependents that they want to sponsor (spouse or partner and dependent children);
• any dependent children who will not come to Canada with their parents or grandparents;
• the sponsor’s parent or grandparent’s spouse or partner, even if they will not come to Canada;
• the sponsor’s parent or grandparent’s separated spouse.

If you live in Quebec, your income will be assessed by Quebec’s immigration ministry. Sponsors and co-signers need to pass the financial capability requirements for the past 12 months.

All sponsors across Canada need to submit a signed undertaking to IRCC and if you are in Quebec, to the provincial government as well. This is a legal declaration you will be financially responsible for your sponsored family members and they will not be able to claim social assistance. You will need to repay any claimed social assistance during the undertaking period.

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What is the eligibility for Parent and Grandparents Super Visa?

To be eligible both the sponsor and the person(s) being sponsored must have met certain eligibility requirements. Sponsors must:

• be either a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
• meet certain income requirements (see below); and
• support the sponsored person(s) and their dependants financially.

The sponsor and the sponsored person(s) must sign a sponsorship agreement that:

• commits the sponsor to provide financial support the sponsored person(s) and any other eligible relatives accompanying them for a period of three to 20 years, depending on their age and relationship to the sponsor, beginning on the date they become a permanent resident; and
• states that the persons becoming permanent residents will make every effort to support themselves.

Residents of Quebec must sign an ‘undertaking’ with the province of Quebec. This is a contract that binds the sponsorship. Sponsors in Quebec must also meet Quebec’s sponsorship requirements after being approved as a sponsor by IRCC.