Relief for Punjabis in Canada: Parents, Grandparents Sponsorship program reopens
Babusahi Bureau
Chandigarh, July 19, 2025: There’s welcome news for Punjabis living in Canada, as the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that it will begin accepting new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2025.
Starting July 28, 2025, the IRCC will begin sending invitation letters to selected applicants allowing them to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residency in Canada. This year, the program aims to approve 10,000 complete applications.
The PGP program is specifically designed for Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and registered Indians who wish to bring their parents or grandparents to Canada permanently.Those who receive an invitation can submit their applications online via the Permanent Residence Portal or through an authorized representative.
In a significant update, IRCC has clarified that individuals who had submitted expressions of interest in 2020 but were not selected may finally receive an invitation this time.
Applicants are advised to check their old email accounts carefully, as communication may be sent through those registered contacts.
To provide context, in 2024, IRCC issued invitations to 35,700 individuals, out of which 20,500 applications were approved.However, by the end of 2023, there was a backlog of over 40,000 sponsorship applications, with an average processing time of 24 months.
This announcement brings renewed hope to thousands of Punjabi families waiting to reunite with their loved ones in Canada under the PGP program.