Sponsoring Parents and Grandparents in Canada: Managing the Wait and Preparing Your Application

Every year, many permanent residents and Canadian citizens settled across the country want to bring their parents or grandparents over from the Maghreb, whether from Casablanca, Algiers, Tunis, or Nouakchott. Yet looking at the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) portal brings immediate administrative reality to light: the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) opens only intermittently and operates under a very tight quota system.

At AMRI Consulting, we often see families stuck in limbo for months or even years, unsure of what documents to prepare or what fallback options exist. Here is our practical breakdown of how this program actually runs, its federal financial requirements, and how to organize your files ahead of time.

How Selection for the PGP Program Actually Works

Sponsoring parents and grandparents does not work like sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner. You cannot simply file a permanent residence application whenever you feel ready.

To be able to sponsor:

• IRCC periodically opens an interest to sponsor window or conducts random draws from forms previously submitted to its federal pool.
• Only individuals who receive an official Invitation to Apply (ITA) earn the right to submit a full permanent residence application.
• As long as this intake window remains closed to the public, the federal government does not accept any new interest to sponsor submissions.

For sponsors whose files are already being processed by immigration offices, review proceeds normally. However, if you have not submitted an interest form or have not yet received an invitation, you must wait for the next official round announced by IRCC.

Financial Evaluation: The Make-or-Break Requirement

The single rule that disqualifies the highest number of sponsors in Canada involves income cut-offs. To sponsor your parents or grandparents outside Quebec, IRCC requires you to demonstrate sufficient income for the three consecutive tax years preceding your application submission.

This income is not a rough salary estimate. The department relies strictly on your Notices of Assessment issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), specifically line 15000 (total gross income). The calculation matches the low-income cut-off (LICO) plus an additional 30%.

Your family unit size must be calculated with precision. You must include:

• Yourself (the sponsor);
• Your spouse or common-law partner (who can co-sign to combine incomes);
• Your dependent children as well as your partner's dependent children;
• Anyone you are currently sponsoring for whom an active undertaking is still in effect;
• The sponsored persons (your parents and/or grandparents) and their dependent family members, whether they are accompanying them or not.

As an example taken directly from official IRCC tables for sponsors residing outside Quebec, the minimum required amounts are set as follows:

Family Unit Size	Required Income 2024	Required Income 2023	Required Income 2022
2 persons	$47,549 CAD	$44,530 CAD	$43,082 CAD
3 persons	$58,456 CAD	$54,743 CAD	$52,965 CAD
4 persons	$70,972 CAD	$66,466 CAD	$64,306 CAD
5 persons	$80,496 CAD	$75,384 CAD	$72,935 CAD

If you live in Quebec, income thresholds are set by the provincial government. You can review all conditions and tables directly on the federal portal at canada.ca.

If your reported income drops even $200 CAD below the official threshold in any single year out of those three, IRCC will refuse the sponsorship application, without exception. Take the time to review your Notices of Assessment line by line before even considering an application.

What to Prepare While Waiting for Invitations to Open

Waiting for an invitation does not mean you should sit idle. The deadlines IRCC grants to submit a complete file after receiving an ITA are short (usually 60 days). Gathering civil status records from Morocco, Algeria, or Tunisia takes time.

1. Civil Status and Proof of Relationship

A frequent mistake is waiting for an invitation before requesting official birth certificates. You must demonstrate an unbroken paper trail proving your relationship to your parents (and the link between your parents and grandparents if sponsoring the latter):

• Full, long-form birth certificates (individual summary extracts are frequently rejected by officers);
• Complete copies of the family record book (livret de famille);
• Marriage certificates or divorce decrees where applicable.

Any document issued in Arabic must include a certified translation completed by a recognized sworn translator.

2. Passport Validity and Background Checks

Check the expiry dates on your parents' passports. If a passport expires in less than a year, have them renew it immediately in their country of residence. Also verify that the spelling of first and last names matches identically across passports and civil records; a single mismatched letter resulting from Arabic-to-French transcription systematically triggers procedural fairness letters that delay files for months.

A Practical Temporary Option: The Super Visa

If your main goal is to spend extended time with your relatives in Canada without waiting for a random draw under the PGP, the Super Visa is often the most direct path.

This multi-entry visa allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to 5 consecutive years per visit, with a total validity that can reach 10 years. To qualify, the child or grandchild in Canada must meet standard LICO income minimums (without the extra 30% added for permanent residence). In addition, the visiting parent must purchase qualifying medical insurance from an approved provider for a minimum of $100,000 CAD and pass an IRCC immigration medical exam.

Please note that AMRI Consulting does not handle regular visitor visas, Super Visas, work permits, or Provincial Nominee Programs. We focus exclusively on our three areas of expertise: Family Sponsorship (permanent residence), Express Entry, and Study Permits.

Our Services and How We Work

AMRI Consulting is an independent immigration and Canadian education advisory firm. We are not IRCC or a government entity. We hold no authority over administrative decisions or visa approvals.

All immigration files we take on are supervised in partnership with Mr. Mohammed El Habib Cherdoud, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC license #R532955, Quebec license #11852). You can verify his standing on the public registry of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (registre.college-ic.ca).

We work with clear, milestone-based pricing that you can review on our fees page:

• Family Sponsorship: $3,500 CAD package ($100 CAD initial consultation; Stage 1 - File Opening at $1,650 CAD; Stage 2 - Final Decision at $1,750 CAD).
• Express Entry: $5,000 CAD for single applicants; $8,000 CAD for couples with children ($100 CAD initial consultation; File Opening $900 CAD; Invitation to Apply $2,000 CAD; Final PR Submission $2,000 CAD). Read our practical tips on our Express Entry Morocco guide.
• Study Permits: $5,000 CAD ($100 CAD initial consultation; File Opening $2,400 CAD; Final Decision $2,500 CAD). We assist our applicants with their school admissions free of charge, with a strong recommendation for Université de Moncton in New Brunswick due to its recognized French-language programs and alignment with the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP).

Keep in mind that for federal economic immigration, IRCC accepts only TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French testing, or IELTS General, CELPIP, and PTE Core for English. Diplomas such as DELF or DALF are not accepted by Canadian immigration authorities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Can my brother or sister co-sign the sponsorship application for our parents?

No. Only your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign an application to combine incomes. Even if your siblings work in Canada and earn strong incomes, they cannot legally be added to your sponsorship undertaking to help you meet the minimum financial bar.

2. How long am I financially responsible for sponsored parents?

The financial undertaking for parents and grandparents lasts for 20 years starting on the day they officially become permanent residents. If you live in Quebec, this undertaking lasts for 10 years. Throughout this period, you are legally bound to provide for their basic needs if they cannot do so themselves, and you must repay the government for any provincial social assistance benefits they might receive.

3. Why isn't my DELF diploma accepted for Canadian immigration?

While DELF and DALF diplomas confirm French proficiency, IRCC accepts only standardized tests that map strictly to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB / NCLC). Only TEF Canada and TCF Canada evaluate the four required skills according to this specific federal scoring scale.

Planning Your Canadian Immigration File

Immigration regulations shift regularly, and every family circumstance is distinct. To assess whether your profile meets current federal criteria, start by completing our free eligibility assessment online.

You can then book an initial consultation for $100 CAD with our team. This fee is credited back in full against your service package should you choose to retain our firm for your application.

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