When will Parent Sponsorship Open for 2023?

When will Parent Sponsorship Open for 2023?

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is a highly sought-after immigration pathway for Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada. However, this program is also very competitive, and many Canadian citizens and permanent residents find it difficult to get their loved ones to Canada through this program.

In this blog post, we will discuss the latest updates on the PGP and what you can expect from the program in 2023. We will also provide an overview of the Super Visa program, which is an alternative to the PGP for Canadians who are looking for a way to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.

When will Parent Sponsorship Open for 2023?

As of now, there are no details available on the process that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will utilize for the PGP in 2023. The last PGP lottery took place in October 2022, and there are currently around 155,000 potential sponsors remaining in the pool of candidates who submitted an expression of interest back in the Fall of 2020.

PGP Since 2020: Since 2020, IRCC has used a lottery system to randomly select interested sponsors and provide them with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through the PGP. In 2020, IRCC accepted up to 10,000 completed PGP applications, while in 2021, the Canadian immigration department accepted up to 30,000 completed applicants. This year (2022), the number was 15,000.

More than 150,000 interested PGP sponsors remain from the group that submitted an expression of interest back in Fall 2020. However, there has yet to be any hint as to whether Canada will continue to draw from this candidate pool in 2023. The 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan may provide some insight into how the PGP will work next year.

2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan: The latest Immigration Levels Plan for 2023-2025 indicates that Canada is aiming to welcome over 28,000 parents and grandparents in each of the next three years. The exact targets for parents and grandparents under family immigration are:

• 2023: 28,500
• 2024: 34,000
• 2025: 36,000

Alternative to the PGP: Super Visa: For Canadians who are frustrated by the competitive nature of the PGP, the Super Visa provides a viable alternative. This program has a separate set of eligibility criteria from the PGP and provides Canadians with the following benefits:

1. Year-Round Availability: Unlike the PGP, which is open for roughly two weeks per year, the Super Visa is available year-round.
2. Long-Term Visits: The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents sponsored by Canadian citizens or PRs to visit their family in Canada for up to five years at a time without a visa renewal.
3. Visa Extension Options: The Super Visa provides different visa extension opportunities that enable sponsored individuals to remain in Canada for up to seven years and grants multi-entry to Canada for up to 10 years.
4. Freedom to Travel: The Super Visa program enables sponsored parents and grandparents to travel freely between Canada and their home country of residence.
5. Authorized Entry: Acceptance into the Super Visa program includes a letter that authorizes a sponsored person’s entry into Canada for up to two years (for those living in countries that do not require TRVs for entry into Canada).