IRCC: Parents and Grandparents Program 2021 immigration lottery is complete

Canada's PGP 2021 lottery has been completed.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed on its website that it finished the process of issuing 30,000 invitations for this year's lottery yesterday. The lottery took place between September 23 and October 4.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2021 lottery was the largest ever, due to a technicality. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, IRCC planned to invite 20,000 sponsors in 2020 and another 20,000 this year. Pandemic-related disruptions caused IRCC to invite 10,000 last year and then 30,000 this year.

Get a Free Legal Consultation if you Received a PGP 2021 Invitation

Only those who completed an interest to sponsor form on IRCC's website in October and November 2020 were considered for the PGP 2021 lottery.

If you received a PGP 2021 invitation you will want to confirm you are eligible before submitting your application. You have 60 days to submit your application from the date of your invitation.

PGP lottery invitations are highly coveted. Demand to sponsor far exceeds the number of application spots available. In a recent meeting with immigration representatives such as the Canadian Bar Association's Immigration Law Section, IRCC revealed it received over 200,000 interest to sponsor forms in October/November 2020. This means sponsors had a roughly 1-in-5 chance of receiving a sponsorship invitation for the 2020 and 2021 PGP lotteries combined. Sponsored parents and grandparents obtain Canadian permanent resident status and associated benefits such as access to universal healthcare and a pathway to citizenship.

Get a Free Legal Consultation if you Received a PGP 2021 Invitation

What will the PGP 2022 look like?

IRCC has yet to provide details on the structure of the PGP 2022. IRCC is looking to welcome 23,500 parents and grandparents to Canada each year under its Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023. This suggests that we should expect the number of PGP 2022 applications IRCC will process to be similar in nature to recent years (an average of 20,000 new applications per year). Prior to COVID, updates on the PGP typically came out around January of each year.

Consider the Super Visa

The Super Visa is an alternative you may want to pursue to reunite with your parents and grandparents in Canada. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are welcome to submit Super Visa applications to IRCC that enables their parents and grandparents to enter Canada multiple times over a 10 year period.

Learn More about the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa