2 people
- 2024
- $47,549
- 2023
- $44,530
- 2022
- $43,082
Parents and Grandparents Program
Parents and Grandparents Program: what is open in 2026
This is how you sponsor parents in Canada for permanent residence. In 2026, IRCC is not taking new interest forms and is not sending invitations. A Super Visa is the long visit, not a substitute for permanent residence.
Kulbir Singh, RCIC #R705924. CICC Public Register (opens in a new tab). English, Punjabi, and Hindi.
At a glance
New intake is paused
You need an invitation to apply
Income for 3 tax years
20 years of support, 10 in Quebec
Super Visa is the long visit
PGP 2026: new applications are paused
On July 15, 2026, IRCC paused new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). It will not accept new interest to sponsor forms, and it will not invite people to apply, until it says otherwise. Read the IRCC notice (opens in a new tab).
Files already in the system are still being processed. IRCC plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through this program in 2026. That is a plan for approvals, not a promise about your file. There is no 2026 draw to enter.
What you can do now
You cannot file a new sponsorship today. You can still get ready.
- Check your income years against the table below.
- Get documents ready: proof of your status in Canada, proof of the relationship, and your notices of assessment.
- Consider a Super Visa for visits now. IRCC describes stays of up to 5 years at a time, multiple entries for up to 10 years, and a 2-year extension from inside Canada. It is not permanent residence.
- Book a consult to plan the path that fits your family.
How invitations work
When a round is open, IRCC invites people from an older pool of interest to sponsor forms. The 2025 round invited people who submitted a form in 2020: 17,860 invitations, a goal of 10,000 complete applications, and a last day of October 9, 2025. You cannot apply without an invitation, IRCC has not announced a 2026 round, and the status is on canada.ca (opens in a new tab) and the 2025 invitation page (opens in a new tab).
PGP or a Super Visa
What it is
- PGP
- Permanent residence, if IRCC approves
- Super Visa
- A long visit. Not permanent residence.
How you start
- PGP
- Only after IRCC invites you
- Super Visa
- No invitation draw
2026 status
- PGP
- Paused for new forms and invitations
- Super Visa
- Open. Confirm the current rules.
Money
- PGP
- Minimum income for 3 tax years
- Super Visa
- Host income, plus medical insurance
How long you support them
- PGP
- 20 years, or 10 years in Quebec
- Super Visa
- For the visit, not the sponsorship promise
| Topic | PGP | Super Visa |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Permanent residence, if IRCC approves | A long visit. Not permanent residence. |
| How you start | Only after IRCC invites you | No invitation draw |
| 2026 status | Paused for new forms and invitations | Open. Confirm the current rules. |
| Money | Minimum income for 3 tax years | Host income, plus medical insurance |
| How long you support them | 20 years, or 10 years in Quebec | For the visit, not the sponsorship promise |
PGP is permanent residence. A Super Visa is a long visit, not permanent residence. Visit rules: Super Visa page.
Spouse, partner, and child sponsorship is a different service: family sponsorship.
Who can sponsor
IRCC applies the rules. This is the short list. An invitation does not, by itself, mean you qualify.
- IRCC has invited you to apply. An application without an invitation is returned.
- You are at least 18.
- You live in Canada. Your main home must be in Canada when you apply, and until IRCC decides.
- You are a citizen, a permanent resident, or registered under the Indian Act.
- You meet the income minimum for each of the 3 tax years, alone or with a co-signer.
- You sign the undertaking, the promise to support them.
Your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign so your incomes are combined. Each of you still has to show income for the 3 tax years.
Who cannot sponsor
- You are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary.
- You have not repaid an immigration loan, a performance bond, or court-ordered family support.
- You did not provide the support you promised in an earlier sponsorship.
- You declared bankruptcy and are not discharged.
- You receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability.
- You were convicted of a violent offence, an offence against a relative, or a sexual offence, in Canada or abroad.
- You are under a removal order.
Some of these bars are different in Quebec. Open the Quebec section below. IRCC can refuse a sponsor for other reasons too. It will tell you why. Eligibility page (opens in a new tab).
Who you can sponsor
A parent or grandparent by blood or adoption. Their spouse or common-law partner can be included. Dependent children must be listed and examined, even if they are not coming to Canada, or you generally cannot sponsor that person later. They must be admissible: a medical exam is required, and IRCC asks for police certificates later. See the eligibility page (opens in a new tab) and guide 5772 (opens in a new tab).
Minimum income for 3 tax years
You must meet the minimum for your family size in each of the 3 tax years before you apply. It is not an average across the years. A spouse or common-law partner can co-sign.
The table below is the one IRCC published for the 2025 intake. Those tax years are 2024, 2023, and 2022. IRCC has not published a table for a 2026 intake, because there is no 2026 intake. If a new round opens, the years and the amounts can change. Check IRCC's income page (opens in a new tab) before you rely on these numbers.
This federal table does not apply in Quebec. Quebec checks income under its own rules.
3 people
- 2024
- $58,456
- 2023
- $54,743
- 2022
- $52,965
4 people
- 2024
- $70,972
- 2023
- $66,466
- 2022
- $64,306
5 people
- 2024
- $80,496
- 2023
- $75,384
- 2022
- $72,935
6 people
- 2024
- $90,784
- 2023
- $85,020
- 2022
- $82,259
7 people
- 2024
- $101,075
- 2023
- $94,658
- 2022
- $91,582
Each extra person
- 2024
- $10,291
- 2023
- $9,636
- 2022
- $9,324
Add the last row for each person over 7. Amounts are in Canadian dollars, from IRCC's 2025 intake table.
Proof is a Canada Revenue Agency notice of assessment for each of the 3 years. You can let IRCC collect that from the CRA, or you can send the notices yourself.
How family size is counted
Count each tax year on its own. Include yourself, your spouse or common-law partner, dependent children, people you still have an undertaking for, and the people you want to sponsor, including family members who are not coming to Canada.
A co-signer is counted in all 3 years. Someone who has died, a legal divorce, or an undertaking that has ended is left out of all 3 years. A separated spouse still counts until there is a divorce, with a narrow exception IRCC describes for the person you are sponsoring.
The undertaking
You sign a promise to support them. Outside Quebec it lasts 20 years. In Quebec it lasts 10 years. It starts the day they become permanent residents.
Undertaking fine print
You cannot cancel the promise or make it shorter after that day. If they receive social assistance during the period, you repay that amount, and you cannot sponsor anyone else until you have repaid it.
The promise still stands if they become citizens, if your relationship changes, if someone moves, or if your own income drops. You can ask to withdraw only before they become permanent residents.
Fees
After the April 30, 2026 increase, IRCC's fee list (opens in a new tab) shows $1,260 for a parent or grandparent, or $660 if you do not pay the right of permanent residence fee yet. A spouse or partner and each dependent child cost more. Biometrics are extra. You pay only for people who are coming to Canada.
Fee breakdown
The April 30, 2026 notice (opens in a new tab) splits the $1,260 into a $90 sponsorship fee, a $570 processing fee, and a $600 right of permanent residence fee.
Their spouse or partner is $1,260, or $660 if you leave out the right of permanent residence fee. The same notice lists $660 as the processing fee for an accompanying spouse or partner. Each dependent child is $180.
Biometrics are $85 per person, or $170 at most when 2 or more eligible family members apply together. Children under 14 and people over 79 do not give biometrics. IRCC: biometrics (opens in a new tab).
IRCC recommends paying the right of permanent residence fee with the application. You must pay it before the person becomes a permanent resident. IRCC refunds that fee if you withdraw or the application is refused. It is the only fee IRCC refunds after processing starts.
One sentence on the fee list describes the spouse total as a sponsorship fee plus a processing fee. The dollar amounts match the April 30 notice and guide 5772 (opens in a new tab), which describe that line as the processing fee plus the right of permanent residence fee. The fee change table (opens in a new tab) is the breakdown we use. If those pages still disagree when you pay, use the fee list total and ask us to check the wording.
Medical exams and police certificates are paid to other offices. IRCC does not set those prices on the fee list. Quebec charges its own processing fee later. Do not add that fee to the federal payment. The amount is not on the federal fee list.
Processing times
Use IRCC's processing times tool (opens in a new tab). Quebec is shown separately because Quebec also processes the file. The latest month count in a dated note, not in that live tool, was as of January 31, 2026: about 23 months outside Quebec and about 46 months for Quebec. The July 15, 2026 pause notice does not give a new month count. Do not treat those figures as today's time.
If you live in Quebec
Quebec uses its own income rules, so the federal table on this page does not apply. The undertaking there is 10 years.
Quebec rules
- IRCC still receives the sponsorship. If it approves you as a sponsor, it tells you to send an undertaking to Quebec. Do not send it before that. If you send it early, Quebec will not process it.
- IRCC does not publish Quebec's dollar amounts on its income page.
- IRCC marks some sponsor bars as different in Quebec: unpaid court-ordered family support, a past sponsorship you did not honour, and an undischarged bankruptcy. The footnote does not cover every bar. Jail, a removal order, certain convictions, and social assistance for a reason other than a disability can still block you.
- You pay a separate Quebec fee when you submit the undertaking. IRCC does not list that amount.
How we help
We will not prepare a Parents and Grandparents application while IRCC is not accepting new ones. A consult can still cover your income, a future round, or a Super Visa. If you already applied, we can talk through the undertaking and the wait. You work with Kulbir Singh, not a sales team. We do not promise an invitation or special access to IRCC.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Parents and Grandparents Program open in 2026?
No. On July 15, 2026, IRCC paused new interest to sponsor forms and new invitations. Files already submitted are still being processed. IRCC has not announced the next intake.
How do PGP invitations work?
When a round is open, IRCC invites people from an older pool of interest to sponsor forms. The 2025 round invited people who submitted a form in 2020. You cannot apply unless you are invited. IRCC has not announced a 2026 round.
What income do I need to sponsor my parents?
For the 2025 intake, IRCC published a minimum for each of the tax years 2022, 2023, and 2024. That table is on this page. IRCC has not published a table for a 2026 intake. Quebec uses its own income rules.
How long is the undertaking?
20 years outside Quebec, and 10 years in Quebec. It starts the day they become permanent residents. You cannot cancel it or shorten it after that.
What are the fees to sponsor parents in Canada?
IRCC's fee list shows $1,260 for a parent or grandparent, including the right of permanent residence fee, or $660 without that fee. A spouse or partner, each dependent child, and biometrics are extra. Confirm the fee list before you pay.
What if I was not invited?
You cannot submit a sponsorship. A Super Visa is the longer visit, and it is not permanent residence. Our Super Visa page explains the income, insurance, and medical rules.
Do you guarantee approval?
No. IRCC decides every application.
Can we discuss in Punjabi or Hindi?
Yes. English, Punjabi, and Hindi. Tell us which you prefer when you book the $50 consultation.
General information, not legal advice
This page is general information, not advice for your family. Rules, fees, income tables, and processing times change. Content was reviewed on October 14, 2026. IRCC decides every application.
Sources
Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. Official IRCC pages only.
- IRCC: Sponsor your parents and grandparents (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC notice, July 15, 2026: program pause (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: 2025 invitations, now closed (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: how to apply, including the invitation rule (opens in a new tab)
- Ministerial Instructions 89, in force January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: who can sponsor, and Quebec (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: income requirements for the 2025 intake (opens in a new tab)
- Guide 5772: family size, fees, and dependants (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: the undertaking, 20 years or 10 in Quebec (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: fee list (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC notice: permanent residence fees from April 30, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: old and new permanent residence fees (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: biometrics and the biometrics fee (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: check processing times (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC committee note, March 23, 2026: processing times as of January 31, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Super Visa for parents and grandparents (opens in a new tab)
- CICC Public Register (opens in a new tab). Kulbir Singh, RCIC #R705924.
Ready for an honest read on parents and grandparents?
Book a $50 phone consultation with Kulbir Singh, RCIC #R705924. We will look at income, the pause, and whether a Super Visa fits your family now.
He works with clients across Canada and abroad by phone, video, email or chat.