2025 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program Now Open: What You Need to Know
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the commencement of the 2025 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP). On July 28, 2025, the first set of invitations to apply (ITAs) for permanent residency sponsorship will be sent to potential sponsors who submitted their respective interest in sponsoring in 2020. The IRCC anticipates disbursing approximately 17,860 invitations with the goal of receiving 10,000 complete applications over the following weeks after the commencement date.
Those invited to apply as part of the 2025 intake are expected to submit their applications electronically through one of two portals: the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal. The anticipated starting fee for prospective applications is $1,205. All applicants will be required to provide medical exams, a police certificate, and biometrics. Unfortunately, only those who submitted their interest in the sponsorship program in 2020 are eligible to apply. Those who miss the invitation deadline or those who did not receive an invitation are encouraged to consider applying for a super visa, which provides long-term, multiple-entry access to Canada for their parents or grandparents.
The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents who are either related by blood or adoption. The key incentive of the program is to enable families to reunite. It includes the dependent children of the parents or grandparents. For example, the sponsor’s siblings, half-siblings, or step-siblings, etc. Although the program captures a broad demographic, the IRCC notes that invitation recipients cannot sponsor their spouses or common-law partners’ parents or grandparents. In addition, invitation recipients should also review which applicants are considered inadmissible before commencing their respective applications due to the onerous undertaking sponsorship demands.
As a sponsor, you undertake financial responsibility for your parent or grandparent for a period of twenty (20) years once they have received permanent residency. Ten (10) years if you are a resident of Quebec. This would mean that you, as the sponsor, would be financially responsible for any government or social assistance received by the parent or grandparent during the twenty-year period. There are no exemptions to the 20-year / 10-year undertaking. Therefore, the sponsor is subject to the undertaking regardless of whether the parent obtains citizenship, whether the sponsor has financial problems, the familial relationship changes, or if either party moves provinces.
✅ Need Help With Your Immigration Case?
Get in touch with Ayodele Law today for a personalized consultation. Whether you're sponsoring a loved one or facing a complex immigration issue, we're here to help.
