Last Updated On 25 October 2022, 3:33 PM EDT (Toronto Time)

Today, IRCC announced an update regarding the Canada Parents and Grandparents Program. The update states that IRCC has completed sending 23,100 Invitations to Apply to potential sponsors who submitted their Interest to Sponsor form in 2020.

Therefore, IRCC recommends checking the email sponsors used to submit their interest to sponsor form. Those who received an invitation to apply have until December 24, 2022, 11:59 p.m. EST to submit their PGP application in the Permanent Residence online application portal.

However, suppose you no longer have your confirmation number or access to the email address you used to submit your Interest to Sponsor form. In that case, you may utilize the Lost My Confirmation Number tool.

If you are unable to submit your PGP application online due to accessibility issues, please follow these steps:

Contact IRCC using a web form.
Under the type of application/enquiry, select technical difficulties from the drop-down menu.
In the text box, enter the keyword “PGP2022″ on your message’s first line to ensure you get a fast response.

Tips for Grandparents and parents 2022 Application Process:

Invited sponsors must use IRCC’s new Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal to complete the details electronically.

IRCC recognizes that many potential sponsors may have had financial difficulties due to the pandemic in recent years. As a result, such sponsors will benefit more from the decreased income threshold for parent and grandparent sponsorship.

The minimum necessary income for the 2020 and 2021 tax years will simply be the minimum required income. Therefore, there will be no need to provide additional 30% income evidence.

Further, general Employment Insurance benefits and temporary COVID-19 benefits (such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit) will be allowed to be calculated against the sponsor’s income.

Processing Time & Fee for PGP

The IRCC processing fee for a single parent is $1,080. If the parent’s spouse is accompanying them, an extra $1085 will be applicable, aside from the additional $155 for accompanying the dependent child. The current processing period for existing PGP applications is 37 months.

Alternative to PGP, Super Visa for Parents & Grandparents

The Canada Parents and Grandparents Program has long been considered a lottery. Due to the limited number of invitations sent each year, getting an invite mostly depends on luck.

However, there is an alternative, children and grandchildren residing in Canada may consider filing for a Super Visa for their parents or grandparents.

Applying for a Super Visa may be a good option, as Canada recently announced an extension of the super visa stay to 5 years. Additionally, IRCC will grant a two-year extension after the initial five-year period, allowing them to stay for 7 years.