How to Sponsor Parents in Canada: A Complete Guide

For many Canadian citizens and permanent residents, bringing parents and grandparents to Canada is a deeply personal goal. The primary route to make this happen is the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), but it’s famously competitive and often relies on a lottery system. If you’re looking for a more flexible alternative, the Super Visa is an excellent option for long-term visits.

Your Guide to Reuniting with Family in Canada

Family reunification is a pillar of Canada’s immigration system, and the desire to have your loved ones close is something we see every day with clients from Burlington to Toronto and all across Ontario. This guide breaks down the process, helping you figure out the best path forward for your family.

The government offers two distinct avenues for bringing your parents or grandparents over. Each serves a different purpose and comes with its own set of rules.

Understanding Your Two Main Pathways

The first, and most well-known, is the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). This is the big one—it allows you to sponsor your relatives for permanent residence. This means they can live, work, and access Canada’s healthcare just like any other permanent resident. For families looking to put down roots together for good, this is the ultimate goal.

The catch? The PGP is incredibly popular. Demand consistently outstrips the number of spots available each year, which is why Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) often uses a lottery to issue invitations to apply. It’s a game of chance, and not everyone who qualifies will get a shot.

That brings us to the second option: the Super Visa. This isn’t a route to permanent residency, but it’s a fantastic tool for keeping family together for long stretches. Think of it as a super-powered visitor visa. It can be valid for up to 10 years and allows your parents or grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five years at a time without having to renew their visitor status. It’s a practical, often faster, way to have them here while you might be waiting for the PGP lottery.

Key Takeaway: You’re essentially choosing between permanent residency through the PGP or long-term temporary stays with the Super Visa. Your decision will hinge on your family’s long-term goals, your financial readiness, and how quickly you want to bring them to Canada.

Making an Informed Decision

Choosing the right path means getting real about the differences in eligibility, financial requirements, and processing times. For instance, the income you need to prove for the PGP is significantly higher than what’s required for a Super Visa.

Getting these details right from the start is critical. Having a solid understanding of Canadian immigration law can make all the difference in building a strong application. As we dive deeper, this guide will offer the Ontario-specific insights you need to move forward with confidence.

Can You Sponsor Your Parents to Canada?

Before you even think about gathering documents or filling out forms, the very first step is to take a hard look at whether you meet the strict criteria set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This isn’t just a simple box-ticking exercise; getting this wrong can stop your application in its tracks.

To even get started, you have to be at least 18 years old. You also must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident who is physically living in Canada. If you’re a Canadian citizen currently living outside the country, that’s okay, but you’ll have to prove that you plan to move back to Canada as soon as your parents get their permanent residency.

The Financial Test: Meeting the Minimum Necessary Income

For most people, the biggest challenge is the financial requirement, officially known as the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI). This is where IRCC really scrutinizes your application. They need to see that you’ve consistently earned enough money to support everyone who depends on you—plus the parents you want to bring over.

To prove this, you’ll need to provide your Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the three consecutive tax years right before you apply. The exact income you need depends entirely on the size of your family.

This is where it can get a bit tricky. When calculating your family size, you need to include:

• Yourself
• Your spouse or common-law partner (if you have one)
• Any dependent children
• The parents or grandparents you are sponsoring
• Anyone else you are currently sponsoring or have sponsored in the past and are still financially responsible for

For instance, if you’re single and sponsoring both of your parents, your total family size is three. If you and your spouse have one child and you’re sponsoring your mother, your total family size is five. Each of these scenarios has a different income threshold you must meet for all three years.

Crucial Detail: The MNI isn’t the same as the standard Low Income Cut-Off (LICO). For sponsoring parents and grandparents, the bar is higher—you must meet the LICO figure plus an extra 30%. This reflects the serious financial commitment you’re about to make.

It’s also important to understand the broader proof of funds requirements for Canada, as this concept of financial stability is a cornerstone of many Canadian immigration pathways.

Below is a table with some hypothetical examples for a sponsor living in Ontario to give you a clearer picture of what the MNI looks like in practice. These numbers are based on recent LICO + 30% calculations and will change annually.

Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) Requirement Examples for Ontario Sponsors

Total Number of People	Required MNI for Tax Year 2023	Required MNI for Tax Year 2022	Required MNI for Tax Year 2021
2 people (sponsor + 1 parent)	$45,059	$43,063	$42,291
3 people (sponsor + 2 parents)	$55,394	$52,946	$51,993
4 people (sponsor, spouse, + 2 parents)	$67,273	$64,295	$63,124
5 people (sponsor, spouse, 1 child, + 2 parents)	$76,303	$72,935	$71,607

Remember, these are just illustrations. You must always refer to the official IRCC figures for the specific years relevant to your application.

The Sponsorship Undertaking: A Serious, Long-Term Promise

Meeting the income requirements is only part of the puzzle. You also have to sign a legally binding contract with the government called an Undertaking. This is a serious commitment.

By signing this document, you are promising to financially support your parents and provide for all their basic needs—from food and shelter to clothing and healthcare—from the day they land in Canada as permanent residents.

For sponsors living anywhere in Canada outside of Quebec, this promise lasts for 20 years. The goal is to ensure your parents won’t need to rely on provincial social assistance. If they do end up receiving social assistance during those two decades, you are legally obligated to pay that money back to the government.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) has these tough rules for a reason. They want to ensure sponsors are truly ready for this long-term responsibility. The process itself reflects this; the application fee alone was recently CAD $1,050 per person, and the entire journey can take up to 27 months, including the time for biometrics.

Trying to figure out all these details can feel overwhelming. If you’re scratching your head about whether your income is sufficient or what the Undertaking really means for you, getting some professional guidance is a smart move. It might be worth looking for an immigration lawyer near you for a free consultation to get clear answers before you invest your time and money.

Getting Through the PGP Application Process

Sponsoring your parents or grandparents to Canada is a major life goal for many, but the application process for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) can feel like a maze. It’s known for being highly competitive and incredibly detailed. Success isn’t just about filling out forms; it’s about being prepared, organized, and ready to act the second the opportunity opens up.

The whole thing starts with submitting an “Interest to Sponsor” form online. This isn’t the actual application, but it’s your ticket into the pool of potential sponsors. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) usually only opens this intake period for a very short time each year, so timing is everything.

The “Interest to Sponsor” Lottery

The demand to bring parents to Canada is massive, so IRCC uses a lottery system to keep things fair. After you submit your Interest to Sponsor form, you’re entered into a pool with thousands of other hopeful sponsors. From there, IRCC conducts a random draw and sends out Invitations to Apply (ITAs).

Honestly, getting an ITA comes down to luck. It can be a frustrating part of the process, but it’s the system in place to give everyone an equal shot. The best thing you can do is have all your basic information—like your SIN, proof of Canadian status, and family details—ready to go. That way, you can fill out the interest form quickly and accurately when the window opens.

A word of advice from experience: Don’t wait until the PGP intake is announced to start gathering your documents. Get digital copies of your passport and proof of status ready ahead of time. When the form goes live, you can just upload and submit without the last-minute stress.

Responding to an Invitation to Apply

If you’re one of the lucky ones selected from the pool, you’ll get an official Invitation to Apply (ITA). This is when the real work begins. You’ll be given a strict deadline, usually 60 days, to put together and submit a complete sponsorship application package.

And when we say complete, we mean it. The package is extensive, requiring a deep dive into your own details as the sponsor and the history of the parents or grandparents you want to bring over. Miss the deadline or submit an incomplete file, and it’s an automatic refusal. You’ll have to start the whole process over again next year.

The application essentially has three main parts:

• Your Sponsor Application: This is where you prove you meet the financial requirements, provide your personal details, and legally sign the undertaking agreement.
• Your Parents’ Application: Your parent or grandparent (as the principal applicant) will need to fill out forms detailing their background, family, and travel history.
• All the Supporting Documents: This is the biggest part. It includes everything from birth certificates and police clearances to your income tax documents.

A successful application is built on perfect documentation. You have to make sure every single piece of evidence is there and in the right format.

This flowchart breaks down the three core pillars you must prove as a sponsor.

As you can see, IRCC will be laser-focused on your residency status, your income stability, and your commitment to the financial undertaking. These are non-negotiable.

Assembling Your Application Package

Once you have that ITA in hand, it’s all about meticulous organization. The application package involves several crucial IRCC forms, like the Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (IMM 1344) and the Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008) for your parents.

These forms are incredibly detailed and leave no room for error. A single wrong date or a missed signature can cause major delays or even get your application sent back. Always download the latest version of every form directly from the IRCC website, as they do get updated.

Beyond the forms, you’ll need a pile of supporting documents. Here’s a quick checklist of the must-haves:

• Proof of Your Status in Canada: A copy of your Canadian passport, citizenship card, or permanent resident card.
• Proof of Income: Your Notices of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for the three tax years right before you apply.
• Proof of Relationship: Your birth certificate showing your parents’ names. If names have changed for any reason, you’ll also need marriage certificates or legal name change documents to connect the dots.
• Identity Documents: Copies of passports and any national identity cards for your parents or grandparents.
• Police Certificates: These are required from every country where your parents have lived for six months or more since they turned 18.

This rigorous process is how the government manages the high demand while staying committed to family reunification. The good news is that for 2024, Canada has increased the PGP intake cap to 35,700 applications—a huge jump from previous years. This shows a real effort to work through the backlog, although the lottery system is still needed to manage the sheer volume of interest.

Wondering how long it all takes? You can get a better feel for the timelines by reviewing our guide on family sponsorship processing times in Canada. By submitting a complete and accurate application, you give yourself the best possible chance of a smooth process.

The Super Visa: A Powerful Alternative

It’s easy to feel disheartened if you aren’t selected in the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) lottery. So, what’s your next move if you don’t get an invitation or the program is paused? This is where the Super Visa comes in, and we always tell clients to think of it not as a consolation prize, but as a genuinely strategic and powerful tool for bringing family together.

This is much more than a standard visitor visa. The Super Visa was created specifically for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It’s a multi-entry visa that can be valid for up to 10 years, allowing your loved ones to stay in Canada for up to five years at a time—a huge jump from the typical six-month visitor stay.

That kind of flexibility is a game-changer. Your parents can be there for school plays, help out with a new baby, or simply spend quality, unhurried time with the family, all without the stress of the PGP lottery.

Comparing Super Visa and PGP Requirements

One of the biggest hurdles with the PGP is the financial requirement. This is where the Super Visa really shines for many families.

The PGP demands that sponsors meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus a steep 30% for three consecutive tax years. The Super Visa, on the other hand, sets a much more realistic bar. You only need to meet the standard LICO for your family size, without that extra 30%. For many people, especially in high-cost areas like the GTA, this makes a world of difference.

The most significant difference is financial. The income needed for a Super Visa is based on the standard LICO, not the inflated LICO + 30% required for permanent sponsorship. This single factor makes it a viable option for many families who don’t qualify for the PGP.

It provides a practical path to reuniting with your parents while you work on strengthening your financial position for a future PGP application.

Securing Mandatory Canadian Medical Insurance

There’s one requirement for the Super Visa that is absolutely non-negotiable: proof of private Canadian medical insurance. It’s crucial to understand that your parents or grandparents will not be covered by provincial health plans like OHIP.

The policy you purchase has to tick all of IRCC’s boxes:

• It must come from a Canadian insurance company.
• It needs to provide at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage.
• The coverage must be valid for a minimum of one year from their planned date of entry into Canada.
• It must cover hospitalization, general healthcare, and repatriation (the cost of returning their remains home if they pass away in Canada).

Our advice is to shop around and get quotes from a few different Canadian providers. Make sure you get proof that the policy is paid in full (or at least that a deposit has been made with a clear payment plan). This isn’t just a formality; it’s a critical piece of evidence for your application. Knowing the current Canadian immigration processing times can help you time the purchase correctly so the policy is active when you need it.

Crafting a Compelling Letter of Invitation

While financials and insurance are about hard numbers, the letter of invitation is your opportunity to humanize the application. This is a formal letter, written and signed by you, inviting your parents or grandparents to stay with you in Canada.

A strong, effective invitation letter should clearly outline:

• Who they are: Full names, birth dates, address, and their relationship to you.
• Who you are: Your full name, Canadian address, phone number, job title, and clear proof of your status in Canada (a copy of your passport or PR card works perfectly).
• Why they’re visiting: Be specific. Are they coming to meet their new grandchild, help you after a surgery, or just to spend an extended period with family?
• The visit’s logistics: State how long they plan to stay and confirm they will be living with you at your address.
• Your financial commitment: This is key. You must include a clear statement that you will be financially responsible for all their needs during their entire stay.

This letter does more than just invite them; it reassures the visa officer that the visit is genuine and that you are fully prepared to support your parents. It adds a personal, credible touch that can make all the difference.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Drawing from our experience helping clients across the GTA—from Burlington to Mississauga—we’ve seen exactly where sponsorship applications can go wrong. A simple, honest mistake can lead to frustrating delays or even an outright refusal. We want to share some of that on-the-ground knowledge to help you steer clear of the most common pitfalls as you learn how to sponsor parents to Canada.

The absolute key to a successful application is obsessive attention to detail. One misplaced document or a single miscalculation can send your file right back to you.

Miscalculating Your Family Size for the MNI

This is, without a doubt, the most frequent and costly mistake we see. When you’re calculating your family size to determine your Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), you have to count every single person you are financially responsible for. It’s surprisingly easy to forget someone.

Your family unit isn’t just you and your parents. It includes:

• You (the sponsor).
• Your spouse or common-law partner.
• Your dependent children.
• Your spouse’s or partner’s dependent children.
• The parents or grandparents you are sponsoring.
• Anyone else you’re still financially responsible for from a previous sponsorship.

A common oversight is forgetting to include a child from a previous relationship or a relative you co-signed a loan for years ago. Forgetting just one person means your MNI calculation will be wrong, leading to an almost certain rejection.

Our Pro Tip: Before you even glance at the income tables, sit down and make a physical list of every single person who fits the criteria above. Count them carefully, then count them again. This number is the entire foundation of your financial assessment.

Using Outdated IRCC Forms

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updates its application forms from time to time, often without a big announcement. Submitting your application on an old version of a form is a guaranteed way to have the whole package returned to you, completely unprocessed.

This is a gut-wrenching experience, especially after you’ve waited months just to get an Invitation to Apply. It usually happens when well-intentioned people download the forms months in advance to get a head start. While being prepared is great, you absolutely must do one final check right before you submit.

The consequences here are severe. By the time you get your application back in the mail and figure out what went wrong, your 60-day submission deadline will likely have passed. This forces you to wait and try your luck in the next lottery.

To avoid this disaster, always download your forms directly from the official IRCC website the day you plan to fill them out. Bookmark the page and check it one last time on the day you send everything in.

Submitting Weak Proof of Relationship

You know they’re your parents, but IRCC needs undeniable proof on paper. A birth certificate is the starting point, but it’s often not enough on its own, especially if names have changed over the years or if the documents come from countries with different record-keeping standards.

Weak proof looks like faded, uncertified photocopies or failing to explain name discrepancies. For instance, if your mother’s name on your birth certificate is her maiden name, but her current passport is in her married name, you must provide the marriage certificate to connect the dots. We’ve also seen applications get held up because of a simple lack of supporting evidence, like family photos, money transfer receipts, or emails. Strong evidence tells a clear, consistent story.

The Parents and Grandparents Program is a huge part of family reunification in Canada. With a high number of applications in the system, providing clear and convincing proof of your relationship is essential to avoid delays. To get a sense of the program’s scale and importance, you can learn more about the trends of PGP admissions in Canada.

For a detailed list of documents that can really strengthen your case, you might find our spousal sponsorship checklist helpful. While it’s for spouses, many of the principles for proving a genuine relationship are the same and it provides a great framework for what IRCC considers strong evidence.

Your Top Sponsorship Questions, Answered

When you start digging into how to sponsor your parents to come to Canada, you’ll find that a lot of very specific questions come up. Having guided families all over Ontario, from Burlington to Mississauga, we’ve heard just about all of them. Let’s tackle some of the most common ones with clear, straightforward answers.

Our goal here is to cut through the noise and give you a realistic sense of what to expect, based on current IRCC rules and what we see happening on the ground every day.

Can My Spouse Co-Sign the Application?

This is easily one of the first questions people ask, and it’s a make-or-break detail for hitting those income targets. The answer is yes, your spouse or common-law partner can absolutely act as a co-signer on your sponsorship application.

When they co-sign, you get to pool your incomes to meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI). For many households, this is the only way to qualify. Just remember, co-signing isn’t just about income—they are also signing up for the entire 20-year undertaking. That means they share the full legal and financial responsibility for supporting your parents and must repay any social assistance they might receive during that time. It’s a serious commitment.

What Happens If My Income Changes After I Apply?

Life is unpredictable. You might get a promotion, change careers, or even face a layoff after your application is in the mail. What does IRCC care about? Their main focus is on your income for the three consecutive tax years before you apply. Those Notices of Assessment are the bedrock of your financial proof.

So, if your income dips after you’ve applied, it won’t automatically sink your application, provided you met the MNI for those crucial three years. That said, the undertaking you sign is a promise for the future. If your financial situation changes drastically—say, you lose your job and have to go on social assistance yourself—it could definitely put your sponsorship at risk.

The Bottom Line: The official review looks at your past income, but your promise to support your parents is about the future. IRCC needs to be confident you can hold up your end of the bargain for the next 20 years.

Can I Sponsor My In-Laws?

Here’s a common point of confusion. The short answer is no, you can’t directly sponsor your spouse’s parents. The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is strictly for your own parents and grandparents.

But don’t worry, there’s a simple and standard workaround. Your spouse or partner acts as the principal sponsor for their own parents, and you then step in as the co-signer. This allows you to combine your incomes to meet the financial requirements. It’s the proper and most common way to bring your in-laws to Canada under this program.

How Long Does the PGP Process Really Take?

This is the big one, and the official answer can feel a bit vague. Once you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and submit your full application, IRCC’s posted processing time can be anywhere from 20 to 27 months.

But that clock only starts after your complete application is submitted. It doesn’t account for the time you might spend waiting in the lottery pool just to get invited, which for some can take years. Realistically, from the day you first put your name in the hat to the moment your parents arrive in Canada, the entire journey can easily stretch to three, four, or even more years. It’s truly a marathon.

This long timeline makes financial planning even more critical. If you’re looking for quick answers to common money-related questions that pop up during this process, resources like these financial frequently asked questions can be a great help.

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Navigating the sponsorship process takes a ton of patience and attention to detail. At UL Lawyers, we provide the dedicated legal support you need to build the strongest application possible, helping you avoid common mistakes and ensuring every ‘i’ is dotted. If you’re ready to start the journey of reuniting with your parents in Ontario, we invite you to contact us for a consultation.