Last year, the number of family members reunited with their loved ones in Canada through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) skyrocketed – more than doubling its previous record set before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the newest records from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), an impressive 27,195 new permanent residents arrived in Canada through the PGP last year or 11,740 more than in 2021, a 131.6% rise.
The PGP, which relies upon Canadian relatives sponsoring the parents and grandparents of immigrants, has been gradually rebuilding its numbers following the massive reduction in immigration due to public health protocols and travel restrictions.
The number of new arrivals under the PGP similarly dropped as overall immigration did, from 341,175 new permanent residents in 2019, the full year before the pandemic, to only 184,595 newcomers in 2020.
In comparison to 2019, when the PGP welcomed 22,010 new permanent residents, the program only saw 10,455, or a 52.5% decrease, in the first year of the pandemic.
The following year, with a then-record-breaking 406,040 new permanent residents, overall immigration roared back to life.
However, despite that year’s significant increase in immigration, the number of new arrivals under the PGP only increased by a modest 12.3% to 11,740 new permanent residents in 2021.
The number of immigrants entering Canada through the PGP at this time is approximately two times higher than it was in 2015, when 15,490 parents and grandparents may be sponsored to immigrate.
There’s little chance that the PGP numbers will be even higher this year given Ottawa’s significantly higher immigration targets for the upcoming years.
Canada plans to welcome 1.45 million immigrants within three years
Ottawa’s immigration levels plan for the years 2023–2025 sets a target of 465,000 new permanent residents for 2023. 2024 will see 485,000 new permanent residents enter, following 500,000 more in 2025.
Overall, 1.45 million immigrants will arrive in Canada during the next three years.
The PGP requires applicants to pay $1,050 to sponsor a parent or grandparent, and the process can take up to 39 months. The sponsors must provide biometrics after submitting their applications. The time it took to submit these biometrics is included in the processing time.
After submitting an interest in sponsoring these relatives, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident will receive an invitation to apply (ITA) and will then need to send two applications to the PGP:
- the sponsorship application, and;
- the permanent residence application
If those applications are accepted, the sponsor enters into an agreement that begins the day the sponsor becomes a Canadian permanent resident.
Eligibility requirements to sponsor the parents and grandparents
you can sponsor your own parents and relatives If:
- You are invited to apply.
- You are at least 18 years old.
- You’re a Canadian Permanent resident.
- You are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person who has a Canadian Indian Act registered.
- You have sufficient money to support the people you want to support.
- You meet all additional requirements specified in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its regulations.
Want to know more details about “Canada accepted twice more parents and grandparents in 2022” you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.
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