Senior citizens can immigrate to Canada, but there is no dedicated retirement visa. A parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident only when a child or grandchild in Canada sponsors them through the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP). Families who don’t qualify or aren’t drawn in the program’s lottery can turn to the Super Visa, which allows stays of up to five years at a time without granting permanent status.
The Parent and Grandparent Program
The PGP is the main permanent-residence route for a senior with family in Canada. The sponsor must be at least 18, live in Canada, and hold Canadian citizenship, permanent residence, or status under the Canadian Indian Act.1Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents – Check if Youre Eligible They also sign a legally binding undertaking to financially support the sponsored parent or grandparent for 20 years after landing.2Government of Canada. What It Means to Be a Sponsor
Getting into the program is the first hurdle. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not accept applications year-round. Interested sponsors submit an “interest to sponsor” form during an open window, and IRCC then randomly picks names and issues Invitations to Apply. For the 2025 round, IRCC drew from forms first submitted in 2020, sent out 17,860 invitations, and planned to accept about 10,000 complete applications.3Government of Canada. Sponsor Your Parents and Grandparents – How to Apply That five-year gap between submitting interest and being invited gives a sense of the backlog. Details on the next intake had not been announced as of early 2026.
Even after an invitation, expect a long wait. IRCC estimated processing at roughly 24 months for applications destined outside Quebec in early 2025.4Government of Canada. Update on 2025 Parents and Grandparents Program Actual timelines depend on document verification and how quickly the applicant responds to requests.
Income the Sponsor Has to Show
The sponsor, with a co-signing spouse or partner if needed, must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for each of the three tax years immediately before applying. Family size counts the sponsor, their spouse and dependents, any previously sponsored relatives still under an active undertaking, and the parents or grandparents being sponsored.5Government of Canada. href=”https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/sponsor-parents-grandparents/eligibility/income.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Income Requirements for the Sponsor
For the 2025 intake, the MNI figures based on the 2024 tax year were:
- 2 people: $47,549
- 3 people: $58,456
- 4 people: $70,972
- 5 people: $80,496
- 6 people: $90,784
- 7 people: $101,075
- Each additional person beyond 7: add $10,291
Amounts adjust every year, so the next intake will have updated figures. The threshold has to be met in all three required years, not just one. Sponsors prove income through CRA Notices of Assessment or by authorizing IRCC to pull the information directly. Falling short in a single year is enough for refusal.
Costs and the 20-Year Commitment
Government fees for a PGP application total $1,205 per sponsored person, covering the sponsorship fee, the principal applicant processing fee, and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee.6Government of Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Application Fees – Fee List Those figures don’t include the required medical exam, police certificates, translations, or professional help from a lawyer or consultant, which can add thousands more.
The bigger cost is the undertaking itself. For 20 years after your parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident, any provincial or territorial social assistance they collect is money you owe back to the government. Social assistance here means government benefits covering basic needs like food, shelter, clothing, and health care not covered publicly.7Government of Canada. Whats Considered Social Assistance When Sponsoring My Parents and Grandparents Employment Insurance, tax credits, child care subsidies, publicly available health care, and subsidized housing are not counted.
The obligation is durable. Job loss, debt, and bankruptcy do not release you; bankruptcy only defers collection. If the sponsor dies, the sponsored senior may then qualify for social assistance without triggering repayment, but the loss of the sponsor’s income leaves the senior exposed. Families should plan realistically for housing, uncovered medical costs, and daily living expenses over that full period.
Medical Inadmissibility for Older Applicants
Both PGP and Super Visa applicants must pass a medical exam by an IRCC-approved panel physician. The “excessive demand” rule matters most for seniors: an application can be refused if the applicant’s health condition would likely cost Canada’s health or social services more than a set annual threshold, or would worsen wait times for Canadian residents.8Government of Canada. What Does It Mean if Im Medically Inadmissible for Excessive Demand Reasons
An officer who has concerns issues a Procedural Fairness Letter, and the applicant can respond with a mitigation plan explaining how the services will be paid for and delivered, backed by financial documentation and a signed Declaration of Ability and Willingness.9Government of Canada. Mitigation Plans for Excessive Demand Mitigation plans work best for costs like outpatient prescription medication or a private long-term care arrangement. They cannot be used to opt out of most publicly funded hospital services, so a condition requiring extensive hospital care is unlikely to be resolved this way.
The Super Visa When Permanent Sponsorship Isn’t Possible
Families not selected in the PGP lottery, or not ready to commit to a 20-year undertaking, can look at the Super Visa. It is a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years, and each stay can last up to five years.10Government of Canada. Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents A regular visitor visa caps stays at six months.11Government of Canada. How Long Can I Stay in Canada as a Visitor
The parent or grandparent, not the host, submits the application. The fee is $100 per person, plus $85 for biometrics.12Government of Canada. Pay Your Application Fees – Online Payment The host in Canada must meet a minimum income based on the Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO), which is lower than the PGP’s MNI. Starting March 31, 2026, IRCC is extending the income assessment for Super Visa hosts from one tax year to two, so confirm current requirements before applying.13Government of Canada. Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents – Who Can Apply
Every Super Visa applicant must buy private Canadian medical insurance before arriving. The policy must provide at least $100,000 in emergency coverage, remain valid for at least one year from the date of entry, and cover health care, hospitalization, and repatriation. Coverage must come from a Canadian insurer or a foreign insurer approved by the minister. For older applicants, premiums can be steep and pre-existing conditions are often limited or excluded, so read policies carefully before buying.
What Sponsored Seniors Can and Can’t Collect
Once a parent or grandparent becomes a Canadian permanent resident, Canada taxes them on worldwide income. Foreign pension payments must be reported in Canadian dollars using the Bank of Canada exchange rate on the date of each payment.14Government of Canada. Line 11500 – Other Pensions and Superannuation Foreign taxes already paid may be offset by a foreign tax credit, and a tax treaty with the home country can exempt part of the pension through a deduction on line 25600. U.S. Social Security, for instance, is reported in full and then partly reduced by treaty. The CRA can confirm whether a specific pension qualifies.
Canadian retirement benefits are largely out of reach for years. Old Age Security (OAS) requires at least 10 years of Canadian residency after age 18, so a parent arriving at 65 would not qualify until 75 at the earliest.15Government of Canada. Old Age Security – Do You Qualify The Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), which tops up OAS for low-income seniors, cannot be paid while an active sponsorship undertaking is in place. Because the PGP undertaking runs 20 years, a sponsored parent may be effectively locked out of GIS for that entire span.
The result is a real financial gap. Provincial social assistance triggers repayment. Federal supplements are blocked by the undertaking. The sponsored senior will lean primarily on personal savings, foreign pension income, and the sponsor’s household. Budgeting for that reality before the application goes in is the difference between a reunification that holds and one that strains everyone involved.