Sponsoring Parents and Grandparents in Canada: The PGP Program and the Super Visa Explained

If you want to sponsor parents to Canada, you have two realistic routes in 2026: permanent residence through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), or a long-stay, multiple-entry super visa. This guide explains how the PGP lottery and intake work, the Minimum Necessary Income (LICO + 30%) and the 20-year undertaking, the government fees, the super visa insurance and income rules, and the exact steps to apply from Jordan and the Arab world. Both routes are run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), but the outcome is very different: the PGP gives your parents permanent residence (PR), while the super visa lets them live with you for up to 5 years at a time as visitors.

Two routes for bringing parents to Canada: PR sponsorship or the super visa

Most Arab-world families ask the same question: wait for a PGP invitation, or apply for a super visa now? The honest answer is often both. The PGP is a lottery with limited places and processing that typically takes 2 years or more, while the super visa is a predictable visitor route that can be approved within months. Many families bring parents over on a super visa first and keep their PGP interest alive in the background.

If you are new to Canadian family sponsorship, our family sponsorship guide for spouses and children explains the undertaking concept and the general sponsor rules. The rest of this article focuses on what is different for parents and grandparents.

How the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) works in 2026

The PGP is Canada's permanent residence stream for the parents and grandparents of citizens and permanent residents. Demand far exceeds the places available, so IRCC does not accept applications first-come, first-served; it uses an interest-to-sponsor pool and random selection.

The interest-to-sponsor pool and the lottery

In 2020 IRCC opened an online interest-to-sponsor form, and everyone who submitted it entered a pool. In the years since, IRCC has randomly selected sponsors from that same 2020 pool and sent them invitations to apply rather than reopening the form. For 2025, IRCC planned to accept about 10,000 complete applications and sent invitations to roughly 17,860 potential sponsors to fill those places. If you were not in the 2020 pool, you could not be invited in those rounds.

• Invitations are random, not based on income, waiting time or the number of parents you want to sponsor.
• Invited sponsors get a fixed deadline to submit a complete application online; a late or incomplete package loses the invitation.
• Intake caps are set each year under the Immigration Levels Plan, which targets roughly 380,000 new permanent residents annually for 2026-2028. A new interest form may open in the future; VisaPres monitors every IRCC announcement so clients can act quickly.

Sponsor eligibility and the Minimum Necessary Income (LICO + 30%)

Being invited is only the start. The sponsor, meaning the child or grandchild in Canada, must meet strict criteria on the day of submission and throughout processing:

• Be at least 18 and a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident living in Canada, or a person registered under the Indian Act.
• Live in Canada; a citizen settled abroad cannot sponsor parents.
• Not be in default of a previous undertaking, an immigration loan or court-ordered support payments.
• Not be an undischarged bankrupt, in prison, or receiving social assistance other than for disability.
• Meet the Minimum Necessary Income for the required family size, alone or with a co-signer.

What the Minimum Necessary Income actually means

For parents and grandparents the threshold is the Low Income Cut-Off plus 30% (LICO + 30%), called the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI). Unlike spousal sponsorship, which has no income test, you must prove you met the MNI in each of the 3 tax years immediately before the application, using your Canada Revenue Agency Notices of Assessment; employment letters and bank balances are not accepted as substitutes. Family size includes yourself, your spouse, your dependent children, the parents you are sponsoring and their dependants, and anyone you previously sponsored who is still under an undertaking. The dollar figures change every year, so check the current MNI table on the IRCC site.

Co-signers and the 20-year undertaking

If your income falls short, your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign; their income is added to yours for all 3 years, but they become jointly responsible. By signing, you promise to support your parents' basic needs for 20 years from the day they become permanent residents (10 years in Quebec) and to repay any social assistance they receive. The undertaking stays in force even if your finances, marriage or relationship with your parents change.

PGP documents checklist and government fees

A PGP file has two linked parts, the sponsorship application by the child in Canada and the PR application for the parents abroad, submitted together through the IRCC Permanent Residence Portal. Prepare the following before an invitation arrives:

• Invitation to apply from IRCC and the confirmation number from the interest-to-sponsor form
• Sponsor's proof of status: citizenship certificate, Canadian passport or PR card
• CRA Notices of Assessment for the 3 tax years before the application (sponsor and co-signer)
• Proof of relationship: your birth certificate naming your parents, and for grandparents the certificates linking each generation; Jordanian family book (دفتر العائلة) with certified translation
• Parents' valid passports, marriage certificate and civil status documents
• Police certificates for every country where a parent lived 6 months or more since age 18
• Immigration medical exam from an IRCC panel physician, when requested
• Digital photos, signed sponsorship, undertaking and PR forms, and fee receipts

Fees are paid by card in the IRCC account at submission; medical exams and police certificates are paid separately. Certified translation is a frequent cause of delay for Arabic-speaking families, which is why many clients use the certified legal translation service at VisaPres, accepted by 19 embassies.

Step-by-step: applying under the Parents and Grandparents Program

Because the wait is long, many sponsors arrange a super visa for their parents while the PR application is in process. That is legal: IRCC recognises dual intent as long as your parents genuinely intend to respect the conditions of their visitor status.

The super visa: who qualifies, 5-year stays and 10-year validity

The super visa is a multiple-entry visitor visa created for parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It is processed under visitor rules, with two major advantages over a standard visitor visa (TRV): each entry allows a stay of up to 5 years, and the visa can be valid for up to 10 years or until the passport expires. The official requirements are published on the IRCC super visa page.

• You qualify as the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident; in-laws qualify through the spouse who is the actual child.
• Your child or grandchild must be at least 18, hold citizenship or PR, and be able to host you financially.
• Your spouse or partner can be included on the same application, but other dependants such as younger children cannot.
• You apply from outside Canada, must be admissible, and cannot work or take long study programmes while on the super visa.

For families in Jordan, the Gulf and the Levant this is often the most practical route: a retired parent in Amman can spend years with grandchildren in Mississauga or Calgary, go home for the summer and return without a new application. Because the file is assessed under visitor rules, our Canada visitor visa guide remains relevant for evidence of ties and travel history.

Super visa requirements: invitation letter, host income, insurance and medical exam

Approval rests on four pillars, and each must be documented; a weak pillar is the usual reason for refusal.

1. The signed invitation letter from your child or grandchild

The host in Canada signs a letter confirming the relationship, listing the household members, stating the planned length of stay and promising financial support for the whole visit. Attach the host's proof of status and proof of relationship, typically your child's birth certificate naming you.

2. Host income at the LICO level

The host must meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) for their family size, counting themselves, their spouse, dependent children and the visiting parents. Unlike the PGP there is no +30% premium, and normally only recent income is examined: the latest Notice of Assessment, T4 slips, an employment letter stating position and salary, pay stubs and bank statements. Self-employed hosts add business registration and financial statements.

3. Medical insurance of at least CAD 100,000

You must prove private medical insurance covering health care, hospitalisation and repatriation with at least CAD 100,000 coverage, valid for at least 1 year from the date of entry, issued by a Canadian insurer or, since January 2025, by a foreign insurer approved by IRCC. Proof of payment is required; check current IRCC guidance before relying on an instalment plan.

• Buy the policy in the parent's name starting on the exact arrival date; a mismatch between the policy and the travel date is a common refusal reason.
• Keep the certificate and receipt; the border officer can ask for them on every entry.
• Renew before expiry if your parent stays beyond a year; an uninsured gap breaks a condition of the visa.

4. Immigration medical exam and standard visitor evidence

Every super visa applicant completes an immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician, available in Amman and across the region, because the intended stay exceeds 6 months. You must also satisfy the standard visitor test: valid passport, ties to your home country, clear purpose and credible travel history. If you were refused before, read our analysis of Canada visa refusal reasons and how to reapply first.

Step-by-step: super visa application from Jordan and the Arab world

Super visa vs regular visitor visa, extending the stay and switching routes

Parents can also enter on a standard visitor visa, so it helps to know when the super visa is the better tool.

Extending your parents' stay in Canada

A super visa holder who wants to stay beyond the period granted at entry applies for a visitor record from inside Canada at least 30 days before the status expires. The fee is CAD 100 per person and the insurance must remain valid for the extension. Restoring expired status costs CAD 239 plus the fee and is only possible for a limited time, so apply early.

Switching from the super visa to permanent residence

Parents living in Canada on a super visa can still be sponsored under the PGP if you are invited, and they do not need to leave while the PR application is processed, provided their visitor status stays valid. After landing they can eventually apply for citizenship once they meet the residency days explained in our Canadian citizenship guide. Keep every visitor record and insurance renewal, report any change of address or marital status to IRCC, and remember that a single overstay can block future super visas and TRVs.

Common mistakes that get PGP and super visa applications refused

At VisaPres we review dozens of refused parent files each year, and the same avoidable errors appear again and again:

• Insurance gaps or wrong policies: coverage below CAD 100,000, a start date that does not match the travel date, an insurer not accepted by IRCC, or unpaid premiums.
• Income miscalculation: wrong tax years for the MNI, parents left out of the family size, gross instead of net income, or a host whose income dipped below LICO.
• Incomplete relationship proof: a birth certificate that does not name the parents, missing links for grandparents, or untranslated family books.
• Inconsistent forms: dates of birth, name spellings or employment history that differ between the IMM forms, the passport and the host letter.
• Weak ties for the parent: a super visa is still a visitor visa, and the officer must be satisfied the parent will respect the authorised stay.
• Undisclosed refusals or overstays: any past refusal by Canada or another country must be declared; omission is misrepresentation.

How VisaPres can help with parent and grandparent sponsorship

VisaPres is an immigration consultancy and legal services office in Amman led by Dr. Maher Al-Dairi, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) with more than 25 years of experience. We handle parent and grandparent files from both sides, the sponsor in Canada and the parents in Jordan, the Gulf, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Palestine or Lebanon, and we know the civil-status and banking documents issued in each country.

Whether you are waiting for a PGP invitation, preparing a super visa or dealing with a refusal, our family-based immigration services and visitor visa legal assistance cover every stage. We do not promise approvals; we build complete, consistent files that reduce avoidable refusals and improve your chances.

• Income eligibility review across the required tax years, including co-signer strategy
• Preparation and online submission of PGP sponsorship and PR applications
• Super visa applications, including the invitation letter and insurance compliance check
• Certified legal translation of family books, birth and marriage certificates accepted by 19 embassies
• Biometrics guidance, visitor records and extensions, and review of refused applications with GCMS notes