Maple News reports that the 2023 Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) lottery has officially begun in Canada. Between October 10 and October 23, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is issuing 24,200 invitations to apply (ITAs) to randomly selected potential sponsors—specifically from the pool of applicants who submitted expressions of interest back in 2020.
The IRCC aims to approve and process up to 15,000 complete applications under this phase of the PGP. If you submitted a sponsorship interest form in 2020 and were not selected during the 2021 or 2022 cycles, you still have a chance of receiving an invitation this year. Applicants are encouraged to monitor both their inbox and spam folders for email notifications from IRCC.
To qualify as a sponsor, individuals must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for each of the three taxation years preceding the application. Outside of Quebec, sponsors must provide Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notices of Assessment for those years as proof of their financial capacity. In Quebec, income qualifications are assessed independently by the province’s immigration authorities.
An approved sponsor must also sign an undertaking—the legally binding agreement to financially support the sponsored parents or grandparents. The duration of this undertaking is 20 years in all provinces except Quebec, where it is 10 years.
For those who do not receive an invitation this year, the Super Visa offers an alternative pathway. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit for up to five consecutive years without needing to renew their visitor status within that time. It is a multi-entry visa offering a longer-term solution for family reunification.
The PGP remains a popular and competitive program, as family reunification continues to be a central pillar of Canada’s immigration system. According to Maple News, with demand still high, the Canadian government is increasingly turning to randomized invitation processes and alternative visa pathways like the Super Visa to manage volume and provide family connection opportunities.
Stay tuned to Maple News for the latest immigration updates, expert guidance, and insights on navigating Canada’s evolving immigration landscape.