Reunite your family through Canada's Parent and Grandparent Program
On This Page You Will Find:
- Current income requirements for sponsoring parents and grandparents to Canada
- Step-by-step eligibility criteria for sponsors and co-signers
- 20-year financial commitment details and what they mean for your family
- Application process updates and timeline expectations
- Common mistakes that lead to refusals and how to avoid them
- Appeal options if your application gets denied
Summary:
Sponsoring your parents or grandparents to Canada requires meeting strict income thresholds for three consecutive years and committing to a 20-year financial undertaking. With only 30,000 invitation spots available annually through a lottery system, understanding the exact requirements before applying is crucial. This comprehensive guide breaks down the income calculations, eligibility criteria, and legal obligations to help you determine if you qualify and prepare a successful application.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- You must meet minimum income requirements for 3 consecutive years based on your tax returns (line 150 of Notice of Assessment)
- The 20-year undertaking means you're financially responsible for your parents' living expenses - no exceptions, even after divorce
- Only your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to help meet income requirements
- Criminal convictions, bankruptcy, or receiving social assistance can disqualify you as a sponsor
- Appeals are possible but have strict 30-day deadlines and limited grounds for success
Maria stared at her Notice of Assessment, calculator in hand, for the third time that evening. After five years in Canada as a software engineer, she finally felt ready to bring her parents from the Philippines. But the numbers on her tax return told a different story than her bank account. "Do I actually qualify?" she wondered, knowing that one mistake could mean waiting another year for the lottery.
If you've ever felt this same uncertainty about sponsoring your parents to Canada, you're not alone. The Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) is one of Canada's most sought-after immigration pathways, yet it's also one of the most misunderstood. The financial requirements alone eliminate roughly 60% of potential sponsors before they even apply.
Here's what most people don't realize: qualifying isn't just about having enough money today. It's about proving you had enough money for the past three years, understanding a 20-year legal commitment, and navigating a lottery system that invites only 30,000 applicants annually from a pool of over 200,000 interested sponsors.
What Makes Parent Sponsorship Different from Other Immigration Programs
Parent sponsorship represents about 30% of all family reunification cases in Canada, but it operates fundamentally differently from other programs. Unlike spousal sponsorship (which has no annual caps and processes 40,000-70,000 applications yearly), parent sponsorship uses a lottery system with strict numerical limits.
The program requires sponsors to demonstrate significantly higher income levels than other family class applications. Why? Because you're essentially promising the Canadian government that your parents will never need social assistance for two full decades.
This isn't just a bureaucratic formality. The undertaking is a legally binding contract that survives divorce, job loss, and even your parents' potential separation from you. Immigration officers have seen too many cases where well-meaning sponsors couldn't fulfill these obligations, leaving taxpayers to cover the costs.
Who Can Sponsor: The Complete Eligibility Breakdown
Basic Sponsor Requirements
To sponsor your parents or grandparents in 2025, you must check every box on this list:
Legal Status: You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Temporary residents, including work permit holders and students, cannot sponsor parents regardless of their income level.
Age Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old when you submit your application. If you're turning 18 soon, wait until after your birthday to apply.
Residency: You must live in Canada. This means having a Canadian address, filing Canadian taxes, and maintaining your primary residence here. If you're a Canadian citizen living abroad, you must prove you'll return to Canada before your parents arrive.
Financial Capacity: This is where most applications succeed or fail. You must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for three consecutive tax years. We'll break down these calculations in detail below.
The 20-Year Undertaking: What You're Really Signing
When immigration lawyers call the undertaking "the most serious commitment in Canadian immigration law," they're not exaggerating. Here's what you're legally promising:
For 20 years starting from the day your parents land in Canada, you will:
- Pay for their basic needs if they cannot
- Reimburse the government for any social assistance they receive
- Remain liable even if you divorce, lose your job, or become estranged from your parents
- Cover the same obligations for any spouse or dependent children your parents bring
The undertaking cannot be cancelled, reduced, or transferred to someone else. Even if your parents become Canadian citizens, work full-time, or win the lottery, your legal obligation continues for the full 20 years.
Real-world impact: If your father receives $800/month in social assistance during year 15 of your undertaking, you owe the government $800/month until he stops receiving benefits, plus any accumulated debt.
Income Requirements That Actually Matter
The Minimum Necessary Income requirements change annually and depend on your family unit size. Here's how to calculate your family unit correctly:
Include in your count:
- Yourself
- Your spouse/common-law partner and dependent children
- Anyone from previous undertakings still within their commitment period
- The parents/grandparents you're sponsoring
- Any spouses or dependent children accompanying your parents
2025 Income Thresholds (based on family unit size):
- 2 persons: $35,000 (estimated)
- 3 persons: $43,000 (estimated)
- 4 persons: $52,000 (estimated)
- 5 persons: $59,000 (estimated)
- 6 persons: $67,000 (estimated)
- 7 persons: $74,000 (estimated)
- Each additional person: add $7,500 (estimated)
Critical detail: Your income proof comes exclusively from line 150 of your Notice of Assessment (NOA). Employment letters, bank statements, and pay stubs don't count. If line 150 shows $51,000 but you need $52,000, you don't qualify - period.
You must meet or exceed the threshold for all three years. If you qualified in 2022 and 2023 but fell short in 2021, your application will be refused.
The Co-Signer Option: Doubling Your Income Potential
If your income alone doesn't meet the requirements, your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the application. This is often the difference between qualifying and waiting another year.
Co-signer requirements:
- Must be your legal spouse or common-law partner (no other family members qualify)
- Must meet all the same eligibility criteria as the primary sponsor
- Becomes equally responsible for the 20-year undertaking
- Cannot be removed from the undertaking later, even through divorce
Income calculation with co-signer: Add line 150 from both your NOAs for each of the three years. If your combined income meets the threshold all three years, you qualify.
Example: You earned $40,000 annually while your spouse earned $25,000. Together, your $65,000 combined income would qualify you to sponsor a family unit of 5 people, whereas your individual income would not.
Disqualifying Factors You Need to Know
Several circumstances automatically disqualify you from sponsoring, regardless of your income:
Criminal Convictions
Certain criminal convictions make you ineligible, particularly:
- Domestic violence offenses
- Sexual assault or abuse
- Violent crimes causing bodily harm
Possible exceptions: If you received a record suspension (pardon) in Canada, or if the foreign conviction occurred more than 5 years ago and you've completed your sentence, you might still qualify. Each case requires individual assessment.
Bankruptcy Status
Active bankrupts cannot sponsor parents. However, if you've been discharged from bankruptcy (meaning you're legally freed from pre-bankruptcy debts), you can proceed with sponsoring.
Social Assistance Receipt
Receiving social assistance disqualifies you, with one important exception: disability-related assistance (like Ontario's ODSP) doesn't count against you.
Outstanding Debts to Canada
If you owe money to the Canadian government - whether from previous immigration undertakings, overpaid benefits, or other debts - you cannot sponsor until these are resolved.
Who You Can Actually Sponsor
Eligible relationships:
- Your biological or legally adopted parents
- Your biological or legally adopted grandparents
- Your spouse's parents or grandparents (if your spouse co-signs)
Their accompanying family members can include:
- Current spouse or common-law partner
- Dependent children (including adult children who meet dependency criteria)
- Dependent grandchildren
Important note: If your parents divorced and remarried, you'd need to sponsor each parent as a separate principal applicant with their respective new families. This significantly increases the income requirements and application complexity.
The Application Process: From Lottery to Landing
Step 1: Interest to Sponsor Form
IRCC typically opens a brief window (usually 2-3 weeks) for potential sponsors to submit an "Interest to Sponsor" form. This is free and doesn't guarantee anything - it simply enters you into the lottery pool.
Step 2: The Lottery
From the pool of interested sponsors (often 150,000+ people), IRCC randomly selects 30,000 to receive invitations to apply. Selection is completely random - income, family size, and country of origin don't influence the lottery.
Step 3: Invitation to Apply (ITA)
If selected, you receive an ITA with a 60-day deadline to submit your complete application. This deadline is non-negotiable.
Step 4: Application Submission
You must submit applications for both the sponsorship (your part) and permanent residence (your parents' part) simultaneously. Missing documents or errors typically result in returned applications.
Step 5: Processing
Current processing times range from 24-36 months. During this period, your parents cannot visit Canada on the strength of their pending application.
Common Mistakes That Destroy Applications
Income miscalculations: Using gross income instead of line 150, or including income sources that don't appear on your NOA.
Family unit errors: Forgetting to include previous undertakings or your spouse's children in the count.
Documentation gaps: Missing police certificates, medical exams, or translation certificates.
Timing mistakes: Applying before meeting the 3-year income requirement or missing the 60-day ITA deadline.
Relationship proof failures: Insufficient evidence of parent-child relationship, especially for adopted or step relationships.
When Your Application Gets Refused
If your application is refused, you have 30 days from receiving the decision to file an appeal with the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD). However, you cannot appeal if the refusal was based on:
- Security, criminality, or human rights violations
- Misrepresentation
- Medical inadmissibility involving excessive demand on health services
Appeals typically take 12-18 months to resolve and require strong legal representation. Success rates vary widely based on the refusal reasons.
Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications
If you don't meet the standard requirements, you might qualify under humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds. This requires demonstrating exceptional circumstances, such as:
- Your parents' complete dependence on you for survival
- Severe medical conditions requiring your direct care
- Extreme hardship that would result from family separation
H&C applications have lower success rates but offer hope when standard sponsorship isn't possible.
Financial Planning for Success
Meeting the income requirements is just the beginning. Smart sponsors also prepare for:
Application costs: Government fees total approximately $1,080 per parent, plus medical exams, police certificates, and translation costs.
Long-term financial planning: Consider your parents' healthcare needs, housing requirements, and potential inability to work in Canada.
Emergency fund: Build savings to cover your undertaking obligations if your parents need temporary support.
Making Your Decision
Sponsoring parents to Canada is one of the most rewarding immigration processes available, but it's also one of the most demanding. The 20-year commitment isn't just a number - it's a promise that will affect your financial decisions for two decades.
Before entering the lottery, honestly assess whether you can meet not just today's requirements, but also handle the long-term obligations. Your parents' Canadian dream shouldn't become your financial nightmare.
The good news? Families who successfully navigate this process consistently report it as one of their best decisions. Having parents nearby for grandchildren, family celebrations, and daily support creates value that far exceeds the financial investment.
If you meet the requirements and understand the commitment, the Parent and Grandparent Program offers an incredible opportunity to reunite your family permanently. Just make sure you're truly ready for the journey ahead.
FAQ
Q: What are the exact income requirements to sponsor my parents to Canada in 2025, and how do I calculate my family unit size correctly?
The income requirements are based on your family unit size and must be met for three consecutive tax years using only line 150 from your Notice of Assessment. For 2025, estimated thresholds are: 2 persons ($35,000), 3 persons ($43,000), 4 persons ($52,000), 5 persons ($59,000), 6 persons ($67,000), 7 persons ($74,000), with $7,500 added for each additional person. Your family unit includes yourself, your spouse/children, anyone from previous undertakings still within their commitment period, the parents you're sponsoring, and any spouses or dependent children accompanying your parents. For example, if you're sponsoring both parents and your mother's new husband, your family unit would be 4 people (you + 3 sponsored individuals), requiring $52,000 annually for three consecutive years.
Q: Can my spouse help me meet the income requirements, and what happens to their obligations if we divorce?
Yes, your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign your sponsorship application, combining both your incomes from line 150 of your tax returns for all three required years. However, co-signing creates a joint 20-year undertaking that cannot be cancelled, even through divorce. Both spouses remain equally responsible for the sponsored parents' financial support for the full 20 years. If you divorce in year 10, both you and your ex-spouse are still legally obligated to reimburse the government for any social assistance your parents receive until year 20. This is why immigration lawyers emphasize that the undertaking is one of the most serious commitments in Canadian immigration law. Only legal spouses or common-law partners can co-sign - other family members like siblings or adult children cannot help meet income requirements.
Q: What exactly does the 20-year undertaking mean, and what costs am I responsible for?
The 20-year undertaking is a legally binding contract starting the day your parents land in Canada. You promise to cover their basic needs (food, shelter, clothing, utilities, personal care, healthcare not covered by provincial plans, and other essential needs) if they cannot. Most critically, you must reimburse the government dollar-for-dollar for any social assistance they receive, including welfare, housing assistance, or food benefits. This obligation survives divorce, job loss, estrangement from your parents, and even if they become Canadian citizens. For example, if your father receives $800 monthly in social assistance during year 15, you owe $800 monthly until he stops receiving benefits. The undertaking cannot be cancelled, transferred, or reduced under any circumstances. You're also responsible for the same obligations for any spouse or dependent children your parents bring with them.
Q: How does the lottery system work, and what are my realistic chances of being selected?
The Parent and Grandparent Program uses a random lottery system with 30,000 annual invitations from a pool typically exceeding 150,000 interested sponsors. IRCC opens a 2-3 week window for the free "Interest to Sponsor" form, usually in fall. Selection is completely random - your income level, family circumstances, or parents' country of origin don't influence your chances. Mathematically, you have roughly a 20% chance of selection each year. If selected, you receive 60 days to submit your complete application with no extensions possible. Many sponsors enter the lottery multiple years before being selected. The system replaced the previous first-come-first-served approach that crashed government servers due to overwhelming demand. Being rejected from the lottery doesn't affect future applications - you can reapply annually until selected.
Q: What are the most common reasons applications get refused, and how can I avoid these mistakes?
The top refusal reasons include income miscalculations (using gross income instead of line 150 from your Notice of Assessment), incorrect family unit size calculations (forgetting previous undertakings or spouse's children), and insufficient relationship documentation. Many sponsors mistakenly include employment letters or bank statements as income proof, but only your tax return line 150 counts. Missing the three-year income requirement by even $1 in any year results in automatic refusal. Documentation errors like missing police certificates, expired medical exams, or uncertified translations also cause problems. Timing mistakes include applying before completing three qualifying tax years or missing the 60-day deadline after receiving an invitation. To avoid these issues, work with qualified immigration professionals, double-check all calculations using official government tables, and ensure all documents are complete before submission.
Q: If my application gets refused, what are my appeal options and chances of success?
You have 30 days from receiving a refusal decision to file an appeal with the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD), but appeals aren't available for all refusal types. You cannot appeal refusals based on security concerns, criminality, human rights violations, misrepresentation, or medical inadmissibility involving excessive healthcare costs. Successful appeals typically involve procedural errors by immigration officers or cases where humanitarian factors outweigh technical deficiencies. The process takes 12-18 months and requires legal representation due to complex procedures and evidence rules. Success rates vary significantly based on refusal reasons - income calculation errors have higher success rates than missing documentation cases. Alternatively, you can submit a new application if circumstances change (like meeting income requirements) or explore humanitarian and compassionate applications for exceptional cases involving severe hardship or medical emergencies requiring your direct care.
Q: Are there any disqualifying factors that would prevent me from sponsoring my parents regardless of my income?
Several factors automatically disqualify potential sponsors regardless of income levels. Criminal convictions, particularly for domestic violence, sexual assault, or violent crimes causing bodily harm, create permanent or temporary bars. Active bankruptcy status disqualifies you, though discharged bankrupts can proceed. Receiving social assistance (except disability benefits like ODSP) makes you ineligible. Outstanding debts to the Canadian government from previous undertakings, overpaid benefits, or other obligations must be resolved first. You must also live in Canada - citizens living abroad must prove they'll return before their parents arrive. Previous sponsorship defaults or failures to meet undertaking obligations can create long-term bars. Medical inadmissibility rarely affects sponsors directly but can impact the sponsored parents. Additionally, misrepresentation on previous immigration applications creates five-year bars from sponsoring anyone, emphasizing the importance of complete honesty throughout all immigration processes.
