Intake process for family class applications for parents and grandparents

This page contains instructions on the intake process for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents.

Current and previous intake instructions

All parents and grandparents applications must be processed according to the program delivery instructions (PDIs) that are in effect for that specific intake. For example, for the current 2024 intake, applications must be processed according to these PDIs. However, for the 2023 intake, applications must be processed according to the PDIs that were published for the 2023 intake.

Program model for the 2024 intake of parents and grandparents applications

Similar to the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 intakes of parents and grandparents applications, for the 2024 intake, the department will select potential sponsors from the interest to sponsor forms that were received in 2020.

Round of invitations

One round of invitation to apply letters will be issued for the 2024 intake. The department will issue more invitation to apply letters than the annual cap on applications, since previous intake years have shown that not everyone who receives an invitation to apply letter will submit an application. For the 2024 intake, IRCC will randomly select and invite 35,700 potential sponsors from the remaining pool of interest to sponsor forms submitted in 2020.

Randomized selection of intake

IRCC is using a randomized selection intake process to manage the intake of applications for the 2024 intake. Ministerial Instructions [MI 71] authorize the implementation of the randomized selection intake process and specify the number of complete applications the department can accept for processing in a calendar year.

The new Ministerial Instructions [MI 71] for the 2024 calendar year replace the previous Ministerial Instructions that came into effect on January 1, 2024 [MI 69]. These instructions provide authority to accept into processing up to 37,000 applications in the 2024 calendar year. This number includes applications to be accepted into processing that were a part of the 2023 intake as well as new applications to be accepted into processing that are a part of the 2024 intake.

Potential sponsors had a 3-week period in 2020 (from October 13, 2020, to November 3, 2020) to let the department know that they were interested in sponsoring their parents or grandparents by submitting an interest to sponsor form on IRCC’s website. Potential sponsors uploaded a copy of their status in Canada document with their interest to sponsor form, as this assisted IRCC in identifying duplicate submissions. All fields on the interest to sponsor form had to be completed for a potential sponsor to be considered for randomized selection.

The interest to sponsor form is not an application for sponsorship. From among those who successfully submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 and were not selected to apply as part of the 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023 intakes, the department will randomly select potential sponsors and invite those selected to submit a sponsorship application as part of the 2024 intake. A new interest to sponsor form will not open in 2024.

Client confirmation numbers for successfully completed forms

If the potential sponsor was successful in submitting an interest to sponsor form online in 2020, a confirmation screen displayed a computer-generated confirmation number, which the potential sponsor was instructed to write down. The department also automatically sent the potential sponsor a computer-generated email, which included their confirmation number.

Potential sponsors who completed the interest to sponsor form in an alternate format would have received a pre-generated confirmation number (either by mail or by email). IT Operations pre-generated and provided a list of confirmation numbers to the Centralized Network (CN) before the 2020 intake launched. The pre-generated confirmation numbers had a slightly different numerical format than confirmation numbers that were randomly generated by the online submissions.

Note: For the interest to sponsor form submission period in 2020, no alternate formats of the interest to sponsor form were received by the department.

If the potential sponsor’s interest to sponsor form was not successfully submitted online in 2020, they would have seen an error message on the webpage advising them that their submission was not transmitted and that they had to try again.

Supporting documents

Potential sponsors uploaded and included a scanned or photographed copy of one of the following status in Canada documents with their interest to sponsor form:

permanent resident card, with both sides scanned
Record of Landing form [IMM 1000], only if the sponsor has not received a permanent resident card
Confirmation of Permanent Residence form [IMM 5292 or IMM 5688]
Canadian citizenship certificate or card with both sides scanned
Canadian birth certificate
birth certificate from Quebec’s Directeur de l’état civil
passport page showing all of the following:
- passport number
- date of issue and expiration
- photo
- first name
- surname
- place and date of birth
Secure Certificate of Indian Status

When potential sponsors submitted their interest to sponsor form in 2020, the potential sponsor’s status in Canada document did not have to be valid.

If a potential sponsor is invited to submit a sponsorship application for the 2024 intake, a copy of the same status in Canada document that was submitted with their 2020 interest to sponsor form must be included in their application. In the case of any difference in information between the interest to sponsor form and the sponsorship application, the potential sponsor must include an explanation of the reason for the change in information and satisfactory evidence that the application pertains to the same potential sponsor as identified on the interest to sponsor form submitted in 2020.

The status in Canada document’s unique number helps IRCC to more accurately identify duplicate interest to sponsor forms. Unlike names and birth dates, which can sometimes be the same for different people, there should not be any duplicate status in Canada document numbers. These documents will also contain the sponsor’s name, date of birth, and other identifying information, which can be used to validate the information the person filled out in the 2020 interest to sponsor form, and to confirm that they were invited to apply.

Note: If the potential sponsor submitted a passport other than a Canadian passport with their 2020 interest to sponsor form and they are invited to apply as part of the 2024 intake, they will need to be a permanent resident when they apply to meet the eligibility requirements for sponsorship. In that case, the potential sponsor must submit a copy of their foreign passport and one of the documents listed above to confirm their status in Canada with the sponsorship application.

In the event that a potential sponsor no longer has access to the email account that they indicated on their interest to sponsor form in 2020, they will be able to indicate that they have a new email address through the “Sponsor your parents and grandparents: Find your lost confirmation number” page, which becomes active online once all invitation to apply letters have been sent out. Through this page, potential sponsors have the opportunity to enter and confirm their new email address if the email address they put on their interest to sponsor form in 2020 is no longer active.

This page does not update a potential sponsor’s email address on the interest to sponsor form submitted in 2020 or update their email address on their prospective application, but it gives IRCC the ability to communicate with potential sponsors who no longer have access to the email account that they put on their interest to sponsor form in 2020. Through this page, potential sponsors will also be able to receive their confirmation number and a copy of their invitation to apply letter, if applicable. All change requests, such as name, mailing address and email address, must be listed in the potential sponsor’s sponsorship application, along with evidence and an explanation for the change.

Invitation to apply letters

The selection of potential sponsors to be invited to apply for the 2024 intake occurs from the already randomized list of the remaining interest to sponsor forms submitted in 2020. An agent in CN uploads the selected number of email addresses to a bulk email tool, starting with the first sequential entry that has not already been invited. This bulk email tool sends potential sponsors an invitation to apply letter, which invites them to submit a sponsorship and permanent residence application package. For the 2024 intake, IRCC will send out 35,700 invitation to apply letters with the goal of accepting 20,500 complete applications. IRCC sends out more invitation to apply letters than the 20,500 application goal because not everyone who receives an invitation to apply letter will submit an application.

Those invited to apply have a minimum of 60 days from the date of their invitation to apply letter to submit their sponsorship application and permanent residence application package. All applications for the 2024 intake must be received by IRCC by August 2, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. The invitation to apply letter is not transferrable to other potential sponsors or applicants. In cases where the invitation to apply letter email is undeliverable, IRCC agents will print the email and mail it to the sponsor’s mailing address as identified on their interest to sponsor form submitted in 2020.

Determining whether to accept sponsorship and permanent residence applications for processing

Note: A sponsorship and permanent residence application package is accepted for processing only if it is received within the stated application deadline and if it is determined that the sponsor who submitted the interest to sponsor form in 2020 was invited to apply as part of the 2024 intake. There are no exceptions.

The sponsorship and the permanent residence applications must be submitted together online through the Permanent Residence Portal. If there is a paid authorized representative, the paid authorized representative must submit the sponsorship and permanent residence applications together online through the Representative Permanent Residence Portal.

Note: There may be instances where a paid authorized representative represents an applicant at no cost. These applications would also be submitted online through the Representative Permanent Residence Portal.

If a representative, sponsor or applicant cannot apply online and requires accommodations, including for a disability, they may request an application in an alternate format (which will be available in paper copy, braille or large print) of the 2024 parents and grandparents application package by sending an email to IRCC at IRCC.2024PGPALTRequest-2024PGPDemandeALT.IRCC@cic.gc.ca.

If the representative, sponsor or applicant chooses to receive the alternate format application package by email, IRCC will send them the links to the application package, which they can then print. The clients must then fill out and sign the hardcopy forms and return the forms by mail or courier to the mailing address in the department’s response. Otherwise, the representative, sponsor or applicant can choose to have the alternate format application package (notably if a request is made for braille or large print) mailed to their Canadian address to complete.

We request that the representative, sponsor or applicant include a copy of IRCC’s response, which is called the “cover letter,” with their mailed application submission to demonstrate that they received approval from the department to submit their application in an alternate format. While we request a copy of the cover letter to facilitate timely processing, an application will not be rejected if the cover letter is not included. Processing agents have been granted access to the GCDocs folder owned by the Client Support and Engagement Branch (CSEB) to verify and confirm the cover letters that have been issued authorizing an alternate format application submission. Any applications submitted via alternate format that do not have IRCC’s authorization may be rejected as per the Ministerial Instructions, as submitting applications electronically is mandatory unless an exemption has been granted by the department. The deadline to submit the alternate format application to IRCC is the same deadline that is indicated on the invitation to apply letter. All online and alternate format applications must be received on or before August 2, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET. No extensions to this due date will be provided for any reason. There are no exceptions.

The cover letter authorizing a representative, sponsor or applicant to submit an application in an alternate format must match the sponsor’s information (name and confirmation number) on the invitation to apply letter. Any applications where the 2 letters partially match must contain an explanation for the discrepancy; if one is not provided, the processing office may request one. Any applications where the 2 letters do not match at all may be rejected.

Accepting parent and grandparent applications within the cap for processing

When agents at CPC-M receive the sponsorship and permanent residence application electronically or in an alternate format (paper, large print or braille) if the representative, sponsor or applicant cannot apply online and requires accommodations, including for a disability, they will verify that

the application has been received by the due date indicated in the invitation to apply letter
the sponsor has been invited to apply (that is, they received a confirmation number) and that the information in the person’s application matches the information provided on the interest to sponsor form submitted in 2020 (validation process)
the application meets completeness requirements, as per sections 10 and 11 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and the Ministerial Instructions

Priority of processing

IRCC will continue to process applications to sponsor parents and grandparents based on the first in, first out principle. This means that new applications submitted in this category when the 2024 intake opens will be placed in the queue behind the applications in the existing inventory of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents.

Validating applications

The main purpose of the validation stage is to ensure that the individual who submitted an application was invited to apply. An agent from CN validates the name, date of birth, address, country of birth, name of potential sponsor and status in Canada document number by comparing the information in the application to the information in a tool called “Peregrine”. Peregrine includes all of the information provided in the 2020 interest to sponsor forms from the master list. The Peregrine tool acts as a quick search, repository and data noting tool, which allows agents to search for specific records. Agents scan a bar code on the invitation to apply letter (which the applicant submits with their application) and identify the associated 2020 interest to sponsor form. From here, 3 scenarios are possible:

an exact match is found
a partial match is found
no similar entry is found

Note: In the event of any difference in information between the 2020 interest to sponsor form and the sponsorship application, the application must include an explanation of the reason for the change in information and satisfactory evidence that the application pertains to the same potential sponsor as identified on the 2020 interest to sponsor form for which the department issued an invitation to apply letter to submit a sponsorship application.

If the application has one or more discrepancies, the officer reviews any explanatory documents sent by the applicant and either finds that the application passes validation or sends a letter to the potential sponsor requesting more information within a 30-day timeframe, thus giving them an opportunity to explain the partial match. The officer then reviews any response received and assesses the application as either passed or rejected validation in the Peregrine tool.

If the application does not match or appear similar to any interest to sponsor form submission from 2020, the application is considered to have failed validation and is not accepted for processing. The decision is recorded in the Global Case Management System (GCMS) and the application is returned to the client with an explanatory letter.