The Parents and Grandparents Program 2023 might have a different perception even though no information is available about the same by IRCC. The last PGP lottery took place in October 2022, and around 155,000 potential applicants (as sponsors) are still available in the pool. Moreover, these sponsors applied with an Expression of Interest earlier in October 2020.
Parents and Grandparents Program 2020
IRCC incorporated a lottery system to choose candidates on a random basis who would acquire an invitation under the PGP. This is how IRCC selected candidates over the previous three years.
Moreover, applicants who had shown their interest in sponsoring their parents and grandparents using the PGP received ITAs from 2020 onwards. These applicants expressed their interest mainly between October and November 2020.
IRCC 2020 also received 10,000 accurate applications from the entire pool of candidates. Again in 2021, the department accepted around 30,000 proper applications, while in 2022, it received 15,000 applications.
Also, the department claims that around 150,000 interested applicants for PGP sponsorship still exist in the pool, and they were the ones who expressed their interest in 2020. However, it is still uncertain whether IRCC will choose candidates from the 2020 pool of remaining candidates.
Parents and Grandparents Program 2023- details of the Immigration Levels Plan
There is no current information regarding the number of ITAs that will be issued. Also, no details about the exact, completed applications to be accepted have been given. However, according to the latest Immigration Levels Plan (2023), 28,000 parents and grandparents will arrive in the upcoming three years.
The parents and grandparents will arrive here based on the following targets under family immigration:
- 28,500 is the target for 2023.
- For 2024, the target is 34,000.
- 2025 has a target of 36,000 parents and grandparents.
PGP Super Visa- what about its substitutes
PGP is a prominent program as it is the pathway for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to bring to Canada. However, the pathway’s popularity is also why several individuals fail to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada.
Contrarily, Canada provides another pathway as its substitute, the Super Visa. But the Super Visa offers a different set of selection criteria compared to the PGP.
Additionally, the program also provides interested applicants with the following advantages:
- The Super Visa is available the entire year, compared to PGP, which only exists for around two weeks in a single year.
- Also, this substitute enables the sponsored parents and grandparents to reunite with their family for up to five years at a single time. This further indicates no requirement for visa renewal for up to five years.
- Additionally, sponsored individuals can also access separate opportunities related to a visa extension. This way, they can prolong their stay in the country for around seven years. Besides this, they also gain multi-entry in Canada for a period of 10 years.
- Sponsored parents and grandparents could travel without restrictions between their native country and Canada through the Super Visa program. For instance, if an individual needs to obtain a Temporary Visa to enter Canada, they could easily re-apply for Temporary Residence Visa.
- A Super Visa Program requires an authorized letter permitting the person to enter Canada for up to two years. This condition applies to candidates who reside in countries that don’t need a TRV to enter this country.
