How Can Parents and Grandparents Join Their Families In Canada?
How can parents and grandparents join their families in Canada? The Parents and Grandparents Program and Super Visa are the most common ways.
Both programs allow your relatives to live with you in Canada, but there are significant differences between the two:
| Super Visa | Parents and Grandparents Program | |
| Accessibility | Can Apply At Any Time | Limited intake lottery with an application window and long wait time |
| Typical Wait Time | 3 Months | 6 years |
| Status Granted | Visitor Status | Permanent residence |
| Maximum Length Of Stay | 5 Years | Unlimited |
Note: Based on the 2020 intake, invitations were issued in 2024, and IRCC’s current processing time is 24 months.
The Super Visa allows your parents and grandparents to visit for up to five years at a time. It also allows for multiple entries over a 10-year period.
The PGP allows you to sponsor your parents and grandparents to become permanent residents in Canada.
Do Your Relatives Need A Super Visa Or PR?
How can parents and grandparents join their families in Canada? First, let’s discuss whether relatives require a super visa or PR.
Generally, you would only consider the super visa or the PGP to allow your parents and grandparents to live in Canada on visitor status.
Eligibility
Super Visa Eligibility
Your parents or grandparents are eligible to apply for the super visa if they have a host who is:
- Their child or grandchild
- A Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada, or registered Indian
- Meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income
- Promises them financial support for the duration of their visit
Moreover, your parents or grandparents must purchase health insurance for the duration of their stay in Canada.
Income Requirements For The Super Visa
| Size Of Family Unit | Minimum Necessary Gross Income |
| 1 Person | $29,380 |
| 2 People | $36,576 |
| 3 People | $44,966 |
| 4 People | $54,594 |
| 5 People | $61,920 |
| 6 People | $69,834 |
| 7 People | $77,750 |
| More than 7 persons, for an additional person | $7,916 |
Health Insurance Requirements
- The Super Visa requires your parents or grandparents to purchase a health insurance policy from either a Canadian insurance company
- An insurance company outside Canada which is approved by the minister of IRCC
- The health insurance policy must be valid for a minimum of one year from the date of entry
- Be paid in full or in installments with a deposit
- Cover health care, hospitalization, or repatriation
- Provide at least $100,000 of emergency coverage
PGP Eligibility
How can parents and grandparents join their family in Canada? Well, IRCC defines as eligible to apply to sponsor your parents or grandparents through PGP if the following applies:
- You are invited to apply
- You are at least 18 years old
- You live in Canada
- You’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
- You meet the minimum salary requirements based on the size of your family
- You commit to supporting the people you are sponsoring by signing a sponsorship agreement called an undertaking
Income Requirements For PGP
To sponsor their parents as well as grandparents under the PGP for the 2024 intake, a host must meet the following minimum income requirements over the past three years:
| Family Size | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| 2 People | $32,898 | $43,082 | $44,530 |
| 3 People | $40,444 | $52,965 | $54,743 |
| 4 People | $49,106 | $64,306 | $66,466 |
| 5 People | $55,694 | $72,935 | $75,384 |
| 6 People | $62,814 | $82,259 | $85,020 |
| 7 People | $69,934 | $91,582 | $94,658 |
| If more than 7 people, for each additional person | $7,120 | $9,324 | $9,636 |
Application Process
Application Process For Super Visa
In applying for the Super Visa, your parents or grandparents should:
- Be outside Canada
- Have their visa printed by a visa office
- Take a medical exam
Your parents or grandparents cannot be inadmissible.
Your parents or grandparents will also have to satisfy Canadian officials that they will voluntarily leave Canada at the end of their stay.
Invitation Only
To be considered for the PGP, you should fill out an interest to sponsor form. IRCC will further decide whether to invite you to apply.
For the super visa, you will not require an invitation from IRCC, but you will need to write a letter inviting your parents or grandparents to Canada.
According to IRCC, a super visa letter of invitation should include the following:
- A promise of financial support for the time duration of your visit
- The list of people included in the family size calculation
- The number of people included in the family size calculation
Application For Quebec Residents
If IRCC approves your sponsorship application, they will ask you to submit an undertaking application to the Quebec ministry in charge of immigration. You should also meet Quebec’s immigration sponsorship requirements.
Do not submit your undertaking application to Quebec until IRCC tells you to do so. If you don’t wait for their confirmation, Quebec won’t process your application.
Status Granted
How can parents and grandparents join their families in Canada? Well, to do that, one must know about the status granted, i.e., visitor status and PR status.
Visitor Status
The super visa grants visitor status only; it does not authorize visa holders to work or study in Canada.
Visitors might still be considered residents of Canada for tax purposes, in which case they must file Canadian income tax returns each year.
In addition, to determine whether they are residents of Canada for tax purposes, super visa holders can consult Income Tax Folio: S5-F1-C1: Determining an individual’s Residence Status.
They can also call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 (from anywhere in Canada or the US) or 613-940-8495 (from outside Canada and the US).
Permanent Resident Status
A successful PGP application grants permanent resident status.
Permanent residents enjoy many privileges same as Canadian citizens, like:
- Ability to work in Canada
- Ability to study in Canada
- Eligibility for Canadian social programs
- Ability to live in Canada
- Ability to qualify for provincial health insurance programs
- While sponsored parents and grandparents are eligible for Canadian social programs, their sponsor must foot the bill for any social assistance they obtain for the duration of the undertaking
Wait Times
The cutoff to apply for the 2024 intake of the PGP was August 2, 2024. Moreover, these applicants were randomly selected from people who submitted their interest in applying back in 2020.
Furthermore, for the lottery winners who have submitted their PGP applications, IRCC reports a processing time of 24 months.
In addition to historically long wait times, submitting an interest to sponsor form to the PGP does not guarantee that your family members will be issued an invitation to apply.
There is no yearly cutoff date for applying for the super visa. Once you have applied, the application normally takes three months or less to process.
Calculating Family Size
Calculating Family Size For The PGP
In order to calculate a sponsor’s family size for PGP, you will be responsible for including the following:
- The people in the sponsor’s family. This includes:
- The sponsor
- The sponsor’s spouse
- If the sponsor’s spouse/ common-law partner is co-signing the application, include them all for three years
- If they are not co-signing, only include them for the years they meet the definition of a spouse or common-law partner
- The sponsor’s dependent children, the dependent children children of their spouse or common-law partner and any dependent children of the dependent children
- Only include children for the years they fulfill the definition of a dependent child
- Any other person the sponsor and their co-signer sponsored for whom an undertaking is still in effect
- Include the family members of the person being sponsored/ co-signed for, whether or not they were included in the undertaking.
- The people being sponsored and their families. This includes:
- The person being sponsored
- The principal applicant’s spouse or common-law partner
- Their separated spouse, unless either the applicant/ their spouse is in a common-law relationship with some other person
- The principal candidate’s dependent children, the dependent children of their spouse or common-law partner, and any dependent children of the dependent children
The calculation should include all the principal applicant’s family members, even if they:
- Are not coming to Canada
- Are a permanent resident of Canada or Canadian citizens
Calculating The Family Size For The Super Visa
In order to calculate the minimum necessary income, include the below-mentioned people in the family size count:
- The host
- The host’s spouse/ common-law partner
- The dependent children of the host as well as of the host’s spouse/ common-law partner. You, and any other super visa applicants applying at the same time
- Children who meet the definition of a dependent child should be included in the count, irrespective of custody and child support arrangements
- Previously approved super visa applicants
- These are super visa holders that were in another letter of invitation, signed by the host or the host’s spouse/ common-law partner, that is still applicable
- Previously sponsored people/ individuals
- These are individuals the host/ co-signer has previously sponsored where the duration of the undertaking is still in effect.
What is a dependent child?
IRCC defines a dependent child as someone who
- Is under 22 years old; and
- Doesn’t have a spouse/common-law partner.
Moreover, children ages 22 or older can count as “over-age” dependents if they
- Have depended on their parents for some financial support since before they reached the age limit
- Can’t financially support themselves due to a mental/ physical condition.
Fees
How can parents and grandparents join their families in Canada? The last thing to know is the fees for doing so.
| Super Visa | PGP |
| Visitor visa fee ($100) (paid when applying) | – Sponsorship fee ($85) (paid when applying) – Principal applicant fee ($545) (paid when applying) – Right of a permanent resident fee ($575) (paid when the application is approved) |
If you seek information on how to begin your Canada immigration application process, you can talk to our NavaImmigration experts at 1800-918-8490, or you can drop us an email at [email protected].
