Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Programme (PGP) is set to accept up to 10,000 sponsorship applications in 2025, allowing Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their loved ones.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that invitations to apply will be sent to randomly selected sponsors from the existing pool of applications submitted in 2020, continuing the approach used in previous years.
PGP 2025: Application process and key updates
Rather than opening a new intake for applications, IRCC will select potential sponsors from the backlog of interest-to-sponsor forms submitted in 2020. This method has been used since 2020 and will continue for the 2025 intake.
Applicants who receive an invitation will be able to submit a full sponsorship application. The government has yet to announce specific dates for when invitations will be sent, but additional details are expected in the coming months.
Processing times
Processing times for the PGP applications vary depending on the applicant’s destination in Canada:
- Outside Quebec: Estimated processing time of 24 months
- Quebec Applicants: Longer processing time of 48 months, due to the province’s stricter family-class admission targets
The Canadian government aims to balance the number of PGP applications processed with available immigration spaces under the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan. With the recent reduction in overall immigration targets, IRCC will be carefully regulating the number of applications it processes annually.
Canada’s Super Visa
For families who are not selected in the PGP Programme, Canada’s Super Visa provides another way for parents and grandparents to reunite with their families. The Super Visa offers:
- A stay of up to five years per visit
- Multiple entries for up to ten years
- Recent changes to make the health insurance requirement more accessible
This option allows families to spend extended periods together without waiting for PGP application approval.
While the exact timeline for invitation issuance is yet to be confirmed, IRCC has assured applicants that more details will be shared soon. Potential sponsors are encouraged to stay informed and regularly check for updates.