PGP 2021 draw released by IRCC

IRCC sent out about 30,000 invitations to PGP 2021 sponsors

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated on its website yesterday that it has completed the process of distributing 30,000 invitations for this year's PGP draw. The lottery was held between September 23rd and October 4th.

Due to a technicality, the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2021 lottery was the largest ever. Before the coronavirus pandemic, IRCC intended to welcome 20,000 sponsors in 2020, followed by another 20,000 this year. However, due to pandemic-related interruptions, IRCC invited 10,000 people last year and 30,000 this year.

Only individuals who filled out a desire to sponsor form on the IRCC's website in October and November 2020 were eligible for the PGP 2021 lottery. If you received a PGP 2021 invitation, you should double-check your eligibility before submitting your application. You have 60 days from the date of your invitation to submit your application.

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Invitations to the PGP lottery are highly sought. The number of available sponsorship seats considerably outnumbers the number of applicants. IRCC disclosed in a recent conference with immigration organizations such as the Canadian Bar Association's Immigration Law Section that it had received over 200,000 requests to sponsor forms in October/November 2020. This implies that sponsors had a one-in-five chance of obtaining a sponsorship invitation for both the 2020 and 2021 PGP lotteries combined. Sponsored parents and grandparents are granted permanent residence status in Canada and privileges such as access to universal healthcare and a road to citizenship.

IRCC is yet to release specifics on the PGP 2022 framework. However, under the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, IRCC expects to welcome 23,500 parents and grandparents to Canada each year. This implies that the amount of PGP 2022 applications to be processed by IRCC, will be similar to previous years (an average of 20,000 new applications per year). Before COVID, PGP upgrades were usually released in January of each year.

With the help of the Super Visa option, you can reconnect with your parents and grandparents in Canada. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are welcome to apply to IRCC for Super Visas, which allow their parents and grandparents to enter Canada several times over ten years.