35,700 families get their chance at permanent reunification starting May 21
On This Page You Will Find:
- Exact dates when Canada issues 35,700 parent and grandparent sponsorship invitations
- Step-by-step process for invited sponsors to submit complete applications
- Alternative Super Visa option for families not selected in the lottery
- Complete eligibility requirements and income thresholds for sponsors
- Timeline expectations and what to do if your email address changed since 2020
Summary:
Starting May 21, 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will randomly select 35,700 potential sponsors from the 2020 pool to invite their parents and grandparents to Canada permanently. This two-week lottery process represents your best chance at family reunification through the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP), with IRCC expecting to accept up to 20,500 complete applications. If you're not selected or missed the 2020 registration window, the Super Visa offers an immediate alternative allowing parents to stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
- 35,700 invitations will be randomly issued from May 21-June 4, 2024, from the 2020 pool only
- Selected sponsors must submit both sponsorship and permanent residence applications together online
- Only 20,500 of the 35,700 invited applications are expected to be accepted (57% success rate)
- No new interest forms are being accepted - the program intake remains closed since 2020
- Super Visa provides immediate alternative with 5-year stays and 10-year validity
Maria Rodriguez has been checking her email obsessively since 2020. Like thousands of other Canadians, she submitted an interest to sponsor form that year, hoping to bring her 67-year-old mother from Mexico to live permanently in Canada. After four years of waiting and watching three previous lottery draws pass by without an invitation, she's about to face her fourth chance.
If you're like Maria and submitted your interest to sponsor form in 2020, May 21, 2024 marks the beginning of what could be your family's life-changing moment. But here's what most people don't realize: even if you receive one of the 35,700 invitations, your journey is just beginning.
What's Actually Happening During the May 2024 Lottery
IRCC will spend two weeks randomly selecting potential sponsors from the same 2020 pool they've been using since 2021. This isn't a new intake – it's the continuation of a system that has left many families in limbo for four years.
The math tells a sobering story. While 35,700 invitations sound generous, IRCC expects to accept only 20,500 complete applications. That means 15,200 families who receive invitations (about 43%) won't successfully complete the process. Common reasons include incomplete documentation, changed circumstances, or failure to meet the strict income requirements.
The government's multi-year immigration plan allocates approximately 25,000 spots annually for parent and grandparent permanent residents, but the reality is that demand far exceeds supply. Immigration lawyers estimate that over 100,000 families remain in the 2020 pool, making your odds of selection roughly 1 in 3.
Your Action Plan If You Receive an Invitation
Getting that invitation email feels like winning the lottery – because essentially, you have. But here's where many families stumble: you're not just submitting one application. You're submitting two complex applications simultaneously.
The Dual Application Requirement:
You must submit both a sponsorship application (for yourself) and a permanent residence application (for your parents or grandparents) at exactly the same time through the Permanent Residence Portal. This isn't optional – IRCC will reject incomplete submissions.
The sponsorship application proves you're eligible and financially capable of supporting your family members. The permanent residence application demonstrates that your parents or grandparents meet health, security, and other immigration requirements.
Critical Timeline Considerations:
Once invited, you typically have 60 days to submit complete applications. This might sound reasonable, but consider what you need to gather: police certificates from every country your parents lived in for more than six months since age 18, medical exams from IRCC-approved panel physicians, proof of relationship documents, and extensive financial documentation.
Smart families start gathering these documents immediately after submitting their 2020 interest form, not after receiving an invitation.
Understanding the Financial Commitment
The income requirements for parent and grandparent sponsorship are substantial and non-negotiable. You must prove you earned above the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30% for three consecutive taxation years immediately preceding your application.
For a family of four sponsoring two parents, you'd need to demonstrate income supporting six people. In 2024, that means proving annual income of approximately $67,750 or higher for three straight years. These numbers increase annually and vary by family size.
But income is just the beginning. You're signing a 20-year financial commitment (for parents) or 10-year commitment (for grandparents) to provide financial support if needed. This legal obligation doesn't disappear if your circumstances change – job loss, divorce, or other financial hardships don't release you from this responsibility.
The Reality of Quebec Sponsorship
If you live in Quebec, you face additional hurdles. After IRCC approves your federal sponsorship application, you must obtain a separate undertaking from the Quebec government. This dual approval process adds months to your timeline and introduces additional requirements specific to Quebec's immigration system.
Quebec evaluates your application based on their own criteria, which may differ from federal requirements. Some families approved federally have been rejected by Quebec, creating heartbreaking situations where success seemed guaranteed.
When the PGP Isn't an Option: Super Visa Strategy
For families not selected in the lottery or those unable to wait indefinitely, the Super Visa offers immediate relief. Unlike the PGP's lottery system, eligible applicants can apply for Super Visas anytime and typically receive decisions within weeks or months, not years.
Super Visa Advantages:
Your parents can stay in Canada for up to 5 years per visit, with the visa itself valid for 10 years. They can extend their stay by up to 2 years without leaving Canada, effectively allowing 7-year continuous stays in some cases.
Processing times average 2-4 months compared to the PGP's multi-year timeline. There's no lottery, no waiting pool, and no annual caps on approvals.
The Trade-offs:
Super Visa holders remain temporary residents. They cannot access publicly funded healthcare (private insurance is mandatory), cannot work without separate authorization, and don't gain a pathway to Canadian citizenship.
The private medical insurance requirement typically costs $2,000-$5,000 annually per person, depending on age and coverage level. For some families, this ongoing cost exceeds the long-term financial commitment of permanent residence sponsorship.
Preparing for Future PGP Intakes
IRCC hasn't announced when they'll accept new interest to sponsor forms, creating frustration for families who missed the 2020 window. Immigration Minister statements suggest the department wants to clear the existing backlog before opening new applications, but no timeline exists.
If you're not in the 2020 pool, focus on building your Super Visa strategy while monitoring IRCC announcements for new intake periods. When registration reopens, be ready to submit immediately – the 2020 intake filled within days.
Common Application Mistakes That Cause Rejections
Even invited families face significant rejection rates. The most common mistakes include:
Document Inconsistencies: Your passport number on the interest form must match your current passport exactly. If you renewed your passport since 2020, update your information with IRCC before the lottery.
Income Calculation Errors: Many sponsors miscalculate required income levels or fail to include all family members in their calculations. Include everyone you're financially responsible for, including previously sponsored relatives still within their commitment period.
Medical Exam Delays: Panel physician appointments can take months to schedule in some countries. Don't wait for your invitation to begin this process.
Making the Decision: PGP vs. Super Visa
For families facing this choice, consider your priorities. The PGP offers permanent solutions but requires years of waiting with no guarantee of selection. Super Visas provide immediate family reunification but with ongoing costs and limitations.
Many successful families pursue both strategies simultaneously: applying for Super Visas to bring parents to Canada immediately while remaining in the PGP pool for potential permanent residence opportunities.
The emotional toll of separation shouldn't be underestimated. If your parents are elderly or in declining health, the certainty of Super Visa approval often outweighs the potential benefits of permanent residence.
As May 21 approaches, Maria and thousands of families like hers will hold their breath, refresh their email, and hope this lottery finally brings their loved ones home. Whether through the PGP or Super Visa route, Canada offers pathways to family reunification – but success requires preparation, patience, and realistic expectations about the journey ahead.
The next two weeks will change thousands of families' lives forever. Make sure you're ready for whatever outcome awaits in your inbox.
FAQ
Q: What are the exact dates for the 35,700 parent sponsorship invitations and how does the selection process work?
The invitation process runs from May 21 to June 4, 2024, during which IRCC will randomly select 35,700 potential sponsors from the 2020 pool only. This is a lottery system where invitations are issued randomly via email to those who submitted interest to sponsor forms in 2020. No new applications are being accepted - the program intake has been closed since 2020. If you're selected, you'll receive an email invitation with detailed instructions and typically have 60 days to submit your complete application package. It's crucial to check your email regularly during this period and ensure your contact information with IRCC is current, especially if you've changed email addresses since 2020.
Q: Why are only 20,500 applications expected to be accepted when 35,700 invitations are being sent?
IRCC expects a 57% success rate, meaning approximately 15,200 invited families won't successfully complete the process. This gap occurs for several reasons: incomplete documentation, failure to meet strict income requirements, changed family circumstances since 2020, medical exam failures, or missing the 60-day submission deadline. Many families underestimate the complexity of gathering required documents like police certificates from multiple countries, medical exams from approved panel physicians, and extensive financial proof covering three consecutive tax years. Some sponsors discover they no longer meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30% requirement, while others face delays in obtaining documents from their parents' home countries, ultimately missing submission deadlines.
Q: What are the specific income requirements and financial commitments for sponsoring parents or grandparents?
Sponsors must prove income above the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) plus 30% for three consecutive taxation years immediately preceding the application. For example, a family of four sponsoring two parents needs to demonstrate annual income of approximately $67,750 or higher for three straight years (2024 figures). This amount increases annually and varies by total family size, including the sponsored persons. Beyond meeting income thresholds, sponsors sign a legally binding 20-year financial commitment for parents or 10-year commitment for grandparents. This obligation remains valid regardless of changed circumstances like job loss, divorce, or financial hardship. Sponsors become responsible for providing financial support if sponsored family members require social assistance, making this a significant long-term financial responsibility.
Q: How does the dual application process work and what documents are required?
Selected sponsors must submit both a sponsorship application (proving their eligibility) and a permanent residence application (for parents/grandparents) simultaneously through the Permanent Residence Portal. Key documents include: police certificates from every country where parents lived for 6+ months since age 18, medical exams from IRCC-approved panel physicians, proof of relationship documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates), three years of tax returns and employment records, and current passport copies. The challenge is coordination - both applications must be complete and submitted together within the 60-day deadline. Many successful families begin gathering documents immediately after submitting their 2020 interest form rather than waiting for an invitation, as obtaining police certificates and scheduling medical exams can take months in some countries.
Q: What is the Super Visa option and how does it compare to the Parent and Grandparent Program?
The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to 5 years at a time, with 10-year visa validity and no annual caps or lottery system. Processing typically takes 2-4 months with no waiting pools. Parents can extend stays by up to 2 years without leaving Canada, potentially allowing 7-year continuous visits. However, Super Visa holders remain temporary residents without access to publicly funded healthcare (requiring private medical insurance costing $2,000-$5,000 annually), cannot work without separate authorization, and have no pathway to citizenship. The PGP offers permanent residence but requires years of waiting with lottery-based selection. Many families pursue both strategies: applying for Super Visas for immediate reunification while remaining in the PGP pool for potential permanent residence opportunities.
Q: What should I do if my email address or personal information has changed since submitting my 2020 interest form?
Contact IRCC immediately to update your information before the May 21 lottery begins. Use the webform on the IRCC website under "Parent and Grandparent Program" or call the contact center directly. Provide your original confirmation number from your 2020 submission, your old email address, new contact information, and any other changed details like passport numbers or addresses. Document inconsistencies are a leading cause of application rejection - your current passport number must match exactly what's on file with IRCC. If you renewed your passport since 2020, this update is critical. Don't assume IRCC will find you with old information. Missing an invitation email due to outdated contact information means waiting for potential future lotteries with no guaranteed timeline for when new applications will be accepted.
Q: What are the most common mistakes that lead to application rejection even after receiving an invitation?
The top rejection causes include document inconsistencies (mismatched passport numbers between 2020 forms and current documents), income calculation errors (failing to include all family members or miscalculating LICO requirements), incomplete applications (missing either sponsorship or permanent residence components), medical exam delays (panel physician appointments can take months to schedule), and expired documents (police certificates and medical exams have validity periods). Many sponsors incorrectly calculate their family size for income requirements, forgetting to include previously sponsored relatives still within their commitment period. Others submit applications with missing signatures, incorrect fees, or documents not properly translated and certified. Starting document collection immediately upon invitation rather than gathering everything within the 60-day deadline significantly improves success rates.
