Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship

Can I apply to sponsor my parents in 2026?

As of the review date above, the answer for a new applicant is no: the program is paused. IRCC's current program page should be checked before taking action. A previous invitation round, an old interest form or eligibility in principle does not create permission to submit a new application now.

The last published intake instructions describe the 2025 round, which invited selected people from the 2020 interest pool. That historical process should not be presented as an open 2026 registration opportunity. Future intake dates, selection methods and document requirements must come from a new official announcement.

If your application is already being processed, keep responding to IRCC requests. The pause on new intake is not an instruction to abandon an existing file. Keep contact details current, check correspondence and preserve evidence of any submission made in response to a request. Families who received an invitation but did not submit within its deadline should obtain advice about their actual position rather than assume the invitation remains usable.

What can you do while intake is paused?

Organize family records and financial information, resolve missing identity documents and assess whether a temporary visit is realistic. Preparation can make a later assessment easier, but it cannot reserve a place or guarantee eligibility under a future intake. Avoid obtaining time-sensitive documents unnecessarily early if they may expire before they are needed.

Who can sponsor parents or grandparents?

The program's published requirements include an invitation, being at least 18, living in Canada, holding eligible Canadian status and meeting the financial and other sponsorship requirements. A spouse or common-law partner may be able to co-sign to combine eligible income. A co-signer accepts responsibility; their signature is not simply permission to use a tax return.

Review the official sponsor eligibility rules. Restrictions can involve social assistance, certain convictions, unpaid support obligations, previous sponsorship defaults or other circumstances. Quebec has a separate undertaking and financial assessment process. Follow the instructions applicable to your province and wait for IRCC's direction before submitting the provincial undertaking where required.

Which family members can be included?

The principal applicant must be an eligible parent or grandparent related to the sponsor by blood or adoption. Their spouse or partner and qualifying dependent children may be included as the instructions allow. Adult siblings are not automatically eligible just because a parent is being sponsored. Their status as dependants must be assessed separately.

Family structure matters when parents are divorced, remarried or separated. It affects who is the principal applicant, who is included and whether separate applications are required. You cannot simply transfer an invitation to your spouse so they can sponsor your in-laws. Review IRCC's examples of eligible family members before preparing forms.

Income requirements: use the correct years and family size

Outside Quebec, the published program requires income evidence for each of the three relevant taxation years. Meeting an average across three years is not the same as meeting each year's threshold. The applicable figures depend on the intake and family size. Do not use an old table as a prediction of a future intake's required income.

Family size is more than the people currently living in your home. The calculation may include your spouse or partner, dependent children, people covered by existing undertakings, the people being sponsored and relevant members of their families. Non-accompanying family members can still matter. Prepare a year-by-year worksheet and compare it with the official instructions.

The income requirements page explains the calculation and evidence. Keep Canada Revenue Agency notices of assessment accessible. A current high salary, savings balance or promise of future earnings should not be assumed to replace required historical income. If a return was reassessed, identify the revised document and explain its relevance accurately.

Understand the long-term financial undertaking

For parents and grandparents, the undertaking generally lasts 20 years outside Quebec and 10 years in Quebec, beginning when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. It covers support obligations and repayment of applicable social assistance. Relationship changes, financial difficulty or the sponsored person's later citizenship do not simply cancel it.

Discuss the commitment with any co-signer and consider realistic living costs, housing and health-related expenses. Sponsorship is not only an immigration form; it can create a lengthy financial responsibility. Read what it means to be a sponsor before signing.

Documents and preparation checklist

For an existing application or a future authorized intake, use the checklist that applies to that specific file. A practical records folder should cover the following areas:

• Sponsor identity and status: proof of eligible status and residence, with consistent names and addresses.
• Family relationships: birth, adoption, marriage, divorce and other civil-status records connecting the sponsor and applicants.
• Financial assessment: required tax evidence and a documented family-size calculation for the relevant years.
• Applicant history: complete residence, employment and family information, with no unexplained gaps where history is requested.
• Admissibility documents: police certificates, medical examinations, biometrics and additional evidence as instructed.
• Translations and explanations: required translations and clear explanations for unavailable or inconsistent records.

Medical or criminal admissibility questions need individual assessment. Do not assume a diagnosis automatically prevents approval, or that an old conviction can be left out because it happened many years ago. If IRCC raises a concern, respond to the legal and factual issue actually identified.

Keep a complete copy of the submitted application, payment evidence and correspondence. Where a family member depends on someone else to monitor the portal, agree who will check messages and how urgent requests will be shared. Missed communications can turn a manageable document request into a serious problem.

Super Visa versus permanent residence sponsorship

A Super Visa does not convert into permanent residence merely because the parent spends time in Canada. It also does not guarantee later sponsorship. IRCC describes visits of up to five years at a time for eligible Super Visa holders, but applicants must still satisfy the current conditions. Our Super Visa guide explains the separate assessment.

Choose a travel plan that is truthful and financially realistic. Do not describe a temporary visit as a substitute for an unavailable permanent residence application without addressing temporary-resident requirements. If a parent is already in Canada, check their authorized stay and any extension deadline independently of a sponsorship file.

How to avoid refusal: prevent eligibility and documentation mistakes

Begin by confirming that submission is permitted. An application sent without an invitation or during a closed intake may be returned rather than assessed on its merits. Preparation cannot overcome a closed intake, and paying additional professional fees cannot secure preferential selection.

• Calculate family size correctly. Include relevant existing undertakings and non-accompanying family members.
• Use the correct income years. Match the applicable intake instructions, not an outdated online example.
• Check each person's eligibility. A sibling or step-relative cannot be included solely for convenience.
• Disclose complete history. Review previous immigration refusals, family changes and relevant background information.
• Meet document requests. Track medical, police, biometric and additional-information deadlines.
• Explain discrepancies. Differences in names, dates or family records should be resolved with evidence.

If IRCC sends a procedural fairness letter, do not respond with generic assurances. Identify the exact concern and provide relevant records or submissions before the deadline. Seek advice promptly if the issue involves alleged misrepresentation, admissibility or sponsor eligibility.

What to do if parent or grandparent sponsorship is refused

First distinguish a returned incomplete application, a missed invitation deadline and a substantive refusal. Save the letter, date received, officer notes and the original application. These outcomes may require different responses, and a new application may not currently be available because intake is paused.

An eligible sponsor may be able to appeal a Family Class refusal to the Immigration Appeal Division. The usual filing period is 30 days from receiving the refusal; the IAD must receive the required appeal documents in time. Review the official filing instructions immediately. Appeal rights can be restricted by the refusal ground, so do not assume every decision can be appealed.

Compare the finding with the evidence submitted. An income-calculation dispute requires different records from a concern about a family relationship or medical admissibility. A reconsideration request may be considered in some circumstances, but it is discretionary and does not automatically suspend an appeal or court deadline. Requesting notes should not delay urgent advice.

Bring the complete decision package to a consultation. The goal is to identify the available remedy, its deadline and the evidence needed, while assessing realistic temporary family-visit options separately. No representative can promise that an appeal, reconsideration or later application will succeed.