All invitations to apply for the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) have been sent, according to Canada’s immigration department.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that all the invitations had been sent as of Monday January 11.
Candidates who received an invitation now have 60 days to submit a full application. Those who did not receive an invitation must wait for the 2021 PGP to open later in the year, IRCC says.
“The government understands how disappointing it can be for those who are not randomly selected to sponsor their family members under the Parents and Grandparents Program,” an IRCC statement said.
“Due to the continued popularity of the program, the number of people interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents always exceeds the number of applications we can accept.”
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Canada is to accept 10,000 applications for the program for 2020. The process has been delayed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
For 2021, IRCC plans to open a new interest to sponsor form window and will accept up to 30,000 new applications.
Parents and grandparents can also come to Canada on a Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which allows for stays of up to two years at a time.
The opening of the PGP has attracted significant controversy in recent years. IRCC has struggled to find a format considered fair by potential applicants.
In 2019, it opened an online first-come, first-served process of submitting the interest to sponsor form. However, many potential sponsors claimed they could never access the form after the program allocation was filled within eight minutes.
Many argued the process favoured sponsors with better internet connections, better computers and who were more able in using a computer.
In 2018, the government opened a month-long window for submitting the form, and received more than 100,000 forms for just 10,000 places.
Do I Qualify to Sponsor My Parents and Grandparents?
Sponsors must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Live in Canada
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or be a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- Have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor. Canada has lowered income requirements for 2020 to offset the impact of coronavirus. The income required is be the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30 percent.
PGP Income Requirements for Last 3 Tax Years
| Total number of people you’ll be responsible for | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
| 2 people | $32,899 | $41,007 | $40,379 |
| 3 people | $40,445 | $50,414 | $49,641 |
| 4 people | $49,106 | $61,209 | $60,271 |
| 5 people | $55,695 | $69,423 | 68,358 |
| 6 people | $62,814 | $78,296 | $77,095 |
| 7 people | $69,935 | $87,172 | $85,835 |
| If more than 7 people, for each additional person, add: | $7,121 | $8,876 | $8,740 |
Parents and Grandparents Program 2020: Process
- Submit the interest to sponsor form
The interest to sponsor form is available here until November 3, 2020 - Receive an invitation to apply
Immigration officials will randomly select and invite potential sponsors. Canada aims to receive 10,000 applications in 2020. - Receive the application package
Those receiving an ITA will also receive an application package. - Pay your application fees
- Submit your application
The complete application must be received with 60 days of the date of the ITA.