The PGP lottery and the 20-year undertaking

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is one of Canada's most competitive immigration pathways, and for good reason: it reunites families but demands serious financial and legal commitment. If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who wants to bring your parents or grandparents to Canada as permanent residents, you need to understand three essential hurdles—the lottery draw, the income test, and the 20-year undertaking that binds you to the Crown. This guide explains what each one means in practical terms.

The Interest-to-Sponsor Pool: Waiting for Your Number

The PGP does not open to everyone at once. Instead, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses a lottery system. If you want to sponsor parents or grandparents, you must first submit an Interest to Sponsor form during a designated window. Once submitted, your form enters a pool from which IRCC randomly selects invitations to apply.

The most recent intake window was October 13 to November 3, 2020. That pool received over 100,000 submissions. Since then, IRCC has drawn invitations from that same 2020 pool in subsequent years—in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. As of August 2026, no new interest-to-sponsor forms are being accepted, and IRCC is processing only those previously invited from the 2020 pool. When and whether new forms will be accepted is not yet announced.

Income Requirement: The 30 Percent Cushion

Once you receive an invitation to apply, the next hurdle is income. You must prove that you have met the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for each of the three tax years immediately before you submit your application. For the 2025 intake, sponsors were assessed on income from tax years 2024, 2023, and 2022.

The MNI is not a flat dollar amount—it depends on your family size. IRCC calculates it as the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) set by Statistics Canada, plus 30 percent. Your family size includes you, your spouse or common-law partner (if applicable), your dependent children, the parents or grandparents you are sponsoring, and any of their dependants, whether or not they are coming to Canada. If you previously sponsored someone who is still under an undertaking, they count toward your family size too.

How Income Is Verified

IRCC will only accept income verified by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). You must provide your Notices of Assessment (NOA) for all three required tax years. The NOA is the official document CRA issues after processing your tax return and is available through My Account on the CRA website or by contacting CRA directly. Bank statements, pay stubs, and employer letters do not substitute for an NOA. Self-employed income, employment income, and most other income sources count toward the MNI, but social assistance payments and Employment Insurance benefits (with limited exceptions) do not.

No Year Can Fall Short

The income requirement is strict: you must meet the MNI in each of the three tax years being assessed. There is no averaging, and one year below the threshold disqualifies you. For example, if you meet the income requirement for 2024 and 2022 but fell short in 2023, your application will be refused. IRCC will not make exceptions. This means that if your income dropped during those years—perhaps due to job loss, a career change, or a business downturn—you may not qualify.

Co-Signers and Combined Income

If your individual income does not meet the MNI, your spouse or common-law partner can co-sign the sponsorship and combine their income with yours. The co-signer must also meet the MNI for the three required tax years. Both of you will be equally responsible for the undertaking and must sign the sponsorship agreement.

The 20-Year Undertaking: Your Legal Debt

Once your parent or grandparent receives permanent resident status, the undertaking begins. This is a legally binding commitment with the Government of Canada. You promise to provide financial support for all basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, and health care not covered by provincial or territorial public health plans. If your sponsored relatives move or circumstances change, the undertaking continues unchanged. Even if you become estranged from your relatives, experience financial hardship, or relocate abroad, the obligation does not end.

The undertaking lasts 20 years outside Quebec and 10 years in Quebec. The clock begins on the day your parents or grandparents become permanent residents, not when you submit your application or when your application is approved. During those two decades, you remain financially responsible.

The Real Risk: Social Assistance Debt

The most serious financial exposure comes from social assistance. If your parents or grandparents receive welfare, provincial disability support, or other social assistance from any provincial, territorial, or municipal program during the undertaking period, you are legally responsible for repaying the full amount to the government. This debt can accumulate over time and may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Provincial governments are increasingly suing sponsors to recover these costs, even years after the social assistance was issued.

You cannot escape this obligation by claiming financial hardship or changed circumstances. The Crown can pursue collection against your income, assets, and tax refunds. If you default on a sponsorship undertaking debt, you will not be able to sponsor anyone else in the future until the debt is settled.

Quebec's Different Rules

If you live in Quebec and want to sponsor parents or grandparents, both federal and provincial rules apply. Quebec has its own income thresholds and assessment process, separate from IRCC's Minimum Necessary Income. The Quebec government (Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration—MIFI) will assess your income based on the last 12 months, not just three tax years, and uses different calculations.

The major difference is the undertaking period: in Quebec, it lasts only 10 years, rather than 20. However, Quebec sponsors must go through both federal approval by IRCC and provincial approval by MIFI, which typically adds time to processing. You will also need to submit a separate Welcome and Integration Plan to the Quebec government.

Even though Quebec's undertaking is shorter, the obligation to repay social assistance still applies for the full 10 years.

Processing and Alternatives

Once you submit a complete application after receiving an invitation, expect processing to take 24 to 36 months, depending on your visa office and application complexity. Quebec applications typically take longer. During this waiting period, your parents or grandparents may visit you on a visitor visa or a Super Visa—a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years that allows stays of up to five years at a time.

If you are not selected in the PGP lottery or do not meet the income requirements, the Super Visa is a faster alternative that does not require permanent residence sponsorship. However, it is a visitor visa, not permanent residence, so your parents or grandparents will not have the same rights to work or access public health care as permanent residents do.

Key Takeaways

• The interest-to-sponsor form is a lottery. Submitting does not guarantee selection, and as of 2026, new forms are not being accepted.
• You must prove income at 30 percent above LICO for three full tax years using CRA Notices of Assessment. One year below the threshold means refusal.
• The undertaking begins when your relatives become permanent residents and lasts 20 years (10 in Quebec).
• If your sponsored relatives receive social assistance, you are liable to repay the government. This debt is enforceable and can follow you for decades.
• The undertaking does not end if circumstances change. Divorce, financial hardship, and relocation do not dissolve your obligation.
• Quebec sponsors face additional income rules and must navigate both federal and provincial processes.
• If you cannot afford to support your relatives without government help, reconsider sponsorship or explore the Super Visa as an alternative.

Family reunification is a cornerstone of Canada's immigration system, but the PGP is a serious financial and legal commitment. Before you enter the lottery pool, make sure you can sustain that commitment for two full decades.