CANADA PAUSES APPLICATIONS FOR PARENT AND GRANDPARENT IMMIGRATION SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
On July 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officially announced that it will temporarily suspend the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) until further notice.
This means that IRCC will:
- No longer accept new Interest to Sponsor forms;
- Not issue new Invitations to Apply (ITAs);
- Keep the program closed to new applicants until a future announcement is made.
Will this affect applications that have already been submitted?
No.
IRCC will continue processing applications that were accepted in previous intake rounds.
According to Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government expects to admit up to 15,000 new permanent residents through the Parents and Grandparents Program in 2026.
Key Facts
- Approximately 60,500 applications are currently being processed.
- The 2026 admissions target under the PGP is 15,000 permanent residents.
- Current processing time outside Quebec is approximately 33 months.
- Current processing time in Quebec is up to 66 months.
- During the program’s only intake in 2020, 203,213 people submitted an Interest to Sponsor form. This figure does not represent completed sponsorship applications. It reflects the number of individuals who expressed an interest in sponsoring their parents or grandparents. Only those who received an Invitation to Apply from IRCC were eligible to submit a complete sponsorship application.
Super Visa Becomes an Even More Important Option
With the Parents and Grandparents Program no longer accepting new applicants, the Super Visa has become the most practical pathway for parents and grandparents to reunite with their families in Canada for extended periods.
Furthermore, following the Super Visa income requirement changes that took effect on March 31, 2026, many families who previously did not meet the financial eligibility requirements may now qualify. The new rules provide greater flexibility in how sponsors can satisfy the minimum income requirement, making the Super Visa accessible to more Canadian families.