Parents and Grandparents Program: the 2026 guide

What is the Parents and Grandparents Program?

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is the family-class route that lets a Canadian citizen or permanent resident sponsor their parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada. Unlike spousal sponsorship, the PGP does not run on a first-come basis, IRCC manages demand through a randomised interest-to-sponsor lottery.

You submit a free Interest to Sponsor form, and IRCC invites a limited number of people from the pool to apply. According to IRCC, the 2025 round drew only from the existing 2020 interest pool and closed in October 2025, with no new pool opened (source: canada.ca, sponsor your parents and grandparents, 2026).

Because the PGP is a capped lottery rather than an open stream, getting an invitation is not guaranteed even if you are fully eligible. That uncertainty, combined with the lack of a confirmed 2026 intake, is why so many families turn to the Super Visa as a way to reunite now. We explain both routes below so you can choose the one that fits your situation.

Is the PGP open in 2026?

As things stand, there is no confirmed new PGP intake for 2026. IRCC has limited the program in recent years and, in 2025, sent invitations only to people already in the 2020 interest pool rather than opening a fresh Interest to Sponsor intake window. No new pool was created, and IRCC has not announced a new application intake for 2026. The program still exists, it is simply not accepting new interest submissions right now.

Program status can change, and IRCC sometimes announces a new intake with little notice. Always confirm the current PGP status directly on canada.ca before you plan around it. If a new pool does open, the best position to be in is ready, with your eligibility confirmed and your income documents in order.

How the PGP lottery works

When the PGP is open, the process runs in two stages. Understanding the difference between the interest form and the actual application matters, because only one of them is a sponsorship:

1. 01

   Submit the Interest to Sponsor form

   During a set window, you complete a free online Interest to Sponsor form. This places you in the pool, it is not an application and does not commit you to anything.

2. 02

   IRCC draws from the pool

   IRCC randomly selects a limited number of people from the pool and sends them an invitation to apply. Being in the pool does not guarantee an invitation.

3. 03

   Apply if invited

   Only people who receive an invitation can submit a full sponsorship and permanent-residence application, including proof you meet the income requirement.

In 2025, rather than opening a new interest window, IRCC invited applicants only from the 2020 pool. That is the heart of the 2026 problem: with no new pool and no new intake announced, there is currently no way to enter the PGP queue. This is precisely the gap the Super Visa fills.

The PGP income requirement

If you are invited to apply, the PGP carries a real income requirement, one of the strictest in the family class. You must meet the MNI, which is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30%, and you must meet it for each of the three tax years before you apply. IRCC verifies this against your Canada Revenue Agency Notices of Assessment, so your filed taxes, not just your current salary, are what counts.

Family size is the detail that catches people out. It counts everyone you are already responsible for, plus the parents and grandparents you intend to sponsor, which raises the income you must show. Because the figures are set against the LICO table, which IRCC updates each year, always verify the current numbers on canada.ca before you rely on them. Where a co-signer (such as a spouse) is allowed, their income can help meet the threshold.

The Super Visa: the practical 2026 alternative

With no confirmed PGP intake, the Super Visa is the route most families use to reunite with parents and grandparents this year. It is a long-stay visitor visa built specifically for the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents. It does not grant permanent residence, but it is open year-round, can be applied for now, and allows remarkably long, uninterrupted visits.

The Super Visa has its own requirements, the host meets a LICO income threshold and the visitor holds at least one year of qualifying medical insurance with minimum coverage of CAD $100,000. It is not a path to permanent residence, and a parent on a Super Visa cannot work. But for stays measured in years rather than months, it is the strongest tool available in 2026.

PGP eligibility: who can sponsor and be sponsored

To sponsor through the PGP, when it is open, you must be at least 18 years old and a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a person registered under the Canadian Indian Act. You must intend to sponsor your own parents or grandparents (including step-parents and step-grandparents), meet the income requirement, and not be subject to a bar. Some situations prevent you from sponsoring:

• You are in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking or an immigration loan.
• You cannot meet the Minimum Necessary Income across all three required tax years.
• You have certain criminal convictions, are bankrupt, or are subject to a removal order.

How to prepare while the PGP is closed

You cannot enter the PGP pool when there is no open intake, but you are not powerless. The families who move fastest when an intake reopens are the ones who prepared in advance, and in the meantime the Super Visa keeps reunification on the table:

1. 01

   Apply for a Super Visa now

   If your goal is to have a parent or grandparent in Canada soon, the Super Visa is open year-round and is the practical route this year.

2. 02

   Get your income in order

   File your taxes and keep your Notices of Assessment ready, so you can prove the Minimum Necessary Income across three years if a PGP intake reopens.

3. 03

   Confirm your eligibility

   Check you are an eligible sponsor with no bar, such as a default, so you are ready to submit an Interest to Sponsor form the moment one opens.

4. 04

   Monitor IRCC announcements

   Watch canada.ca for a new PGP intake, and book a consultation so we can flag the window and prepare your strongest position.

How Wild Mountain helps with parents and grandparents

We give families an honest, current read on the fastest realistic way to reunite. Working under a licensed RCIC (CICC #R706497), our team assesses whether the Super Visa or a future PGP round is the better fit for your goals, then confirms your eligibility and income position. From there we prepare a complete, careful application that catches the avoidable errors, such as a shortfall in an income year or an insufficient insurance policy, that often cause refusals.

We work to a clear written service agreement with transparent fees. We never guarantee an outcome, because no honest consultant can, and no one can promise a Parents and Grandparents Program invitation in a lottery. What we do promise is straight answers and a strong application. Note that we do not handle Quebec-destined sponsorships or appeal and tribunal representation.