Parents and grandparents: super visa or sponsorship, your options

The PGP lets a citizen or permanent resident sponsor parents and grandparents for permanent residence. The program works by invitation: IRCC invites potential sponsors from the pool of interest-to-sponsor forms filed in earlier campaigns — the 2020 pool remains the source of recent invitations.

The sponsor must show a minimum income (the minimum necessary income, plus 30%) for the three tax years before applying and sign a long-term financial undertaking. Without an invitation, no application can be filed under this program.

The super visa is a multiple-entry temporary resident visa that can remain valid for up to ten years. Its specificity: it allows continuous stays of up to five years per entry, with possible extensions during the stay, without having to leave Canada every six months.

It requires proof of eligible private health insurance, a medical exam and a minimum income from the hosting child or grandchild in Canada. It is often the fastest way to reunite the family while the PGP stays closed or uncertain.

The two options are not exclusive: many families combine a super visa for immediate stays with an intention to sponsor if a new round of invitations opens. Each path has its own income conditions, documents and timelines.

Watch insurance and status deadlines: overstaying an authorized stay compromises future applications.