Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to rely on a randomized selection process to invite Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). The program, popular for facilitating family reunification, has faced ongoing criticism due to limited annual intake spots and a years-long backlog.
For the 2024 intake, IRCC issued 35,700 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) with the aim of approving 20,500 completed sponsorship applications. These invitations were drawn from the same interest-to-sponsor submission pool created in 2020. An IRCC officer uses a randomized list of email addresses from that pool and deploys a bulk email tool to issue the ITAs sequentially, contacting individuals who haven’t previously been invited.
Applicants invited under the 2024 intake must adhere to specific documentation requirements. They are required to submit the same immigration or citizenship document provided with their original 2020 submission. If discrepancies arise between the original form and the current application—for instance, a name or document change—sponsors must provide a valid explanation and evidence clarifying their identity.
The processing of applications under the PGP follows a first-in, first-out approach. New submissions in 2024 will be added to the end of the existing backlog, meaning they will not be processed before older pending applications. This system aims to maintain fairness and manage the extensive demand.
The chronic demand for the program continues to far exceed available spots. As of the end of 2023, IRCC reportedly had over 108,000 interest-to-sponsor forms still pending from 2020. With admissions targets slowly increasing—from 32,000 in 2024 to 34,000 in both 2025 and 2026—the current rate of progress suggests IRCC may continue drawing from the 2020 pool for at least another year.
This marks the fourth consecutive year IRCC has used the 2020 intake pool, fueling criticism from stakeholders who say the federal government’s approach is too slow and unresponsive to families wanting to reunite with their loved ones. Despite strong demand and the emotional toll on families waiting to sponsor, the department shows cautious movement in scaling up capacity and system reform.
Maple News will continue to monitor developments in Canadian immigration policy, including future enhancements or proposed improvements to the PGP process.