Thousands of families hoping to reunite in Canada permanently have been dealt a major setback after the federal government announced it is stopping new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
The decision means Canadian citizens and permanent residents can no longer enter the sponsorship process for their parents or grandparents until the government decides to reopen the program. While existing applications will continue to move forward, there will be no new registration process or invitation rounds for the foreseeable future.
The move is part of Canada’s effort to manage immigration levels while reducing pressure on an already crowded application system.
Also Read Canada Suspends New Parent and Grandparent PR Sponsorship Applications Until Further Notice
Government Closes the Door on New Sponsorship Requests
The federal government has confirmed that it will not launch a new intake for the Parents and Grandparents Program. In practical terms, this means there will be no opportunity for eligible Canadians to submit an Interest to Sponsor form or receive an invitation to file a new permanent residence sponsorship application.
This announcement affects families that have been waiting for several years for the government to reopen the program to new applicants.
Instead of expanding the intake, immigration authorities will focus their resources on completing applications that are already in the processing queue.
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Current Applications Will Continue to Be Processed
The suspension does not cancel applications that have already been submitted.
Immigration officials have stated that they will continue reviewing existing sponsorship files and plan to admit 15,000 parents and grandparents as permanent residents during 2026.
The same admission level has also been maintained for the next two years.
Canada’s Parent and Grandparent Admission Plan
| Year | Planned Permanent Resident Admissions |
| 2026 | 15,000 |
| 2027 | 15,000 |
| 2028 | 15,000 |
These figures indicate that Canada’s focus is now on clearing pending cases rather than accepting new ones.
Backlog Remains a Major Challenge
The decision comes as the immigration department continues to deal with a significant inventory of family sponsorship applications.
Nearly 51,000 Parent and Grandparent Program applications remain under processing across the country.
The pending cases are divided between:
- 40,400 applications for applicants planning to live outside Quebec.
- 10,500 applications for those intending to settle in Quebec.
With thousands of files still awaiting decisions, the government appears to be prioritizing backlog management over expanding access to the program.
Applicants Face Different Wait Times Depending on Destination
Families already in the sponsorship system continue to experience different processing timelines based on their intended province of residence.
For applications submitted during the 2025 intake:
- Those settling outside Quebec have an estimated remaining processing period of 18 months.
- Applications connected to Quebec may take approximately 54 months before completion.
Quebec follows its own immigration selection procedures, which often results in longer processing compared with the rest of Canada.
A Program That Has Been Closed to New Entries Since 2020
Although invitations have continued in recent years, the Parents and Grandparents Program has not accepted fresh sponsor registrations since 2020.
During that intake period, more than 203,000 prospective sponsors expressed interest in bringing their parents or grandparents to Canada permanently.
Rather than opening new registration windows each year, the government repeatedly selected applicants from that original pool between 2020 and 2025 through random invitation rounds.
The latest announcement means that pool will no longer receive new additions, leaving many potential sponsors without a pathway to enter the program.
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Super Visa Becomes the Main Alternative
For families unable to sponsor relatives for permanent residence, the Canadian government is encouraging the use of the Super Visa.
The program allows parents and grandparents to visit their family members in Canada for extended periods without becoming permanent residents.
A Super Visa can remain valid for as long as 10 years, and each approved visit may last up to five years, making it a more flexible option than a regular visitor visa.
Standard visitor visas generally allow temporary stays of only six months at a time.
Requirements for Super Visa Applicants
To qualify for a Super Visa, applicants must satisfy several eligibility conditions before travelling to Canada.
Parents and grandparents are expected to:
- Obtain a written invitation from their child or grandchild living in Canada.
- Purchase approved Canadian medical insurance.
- Meet all temporary resident entry requirements.
- Convince immigration officials that they will leave Canada once their authorized stay ends.
The Canadian host must also demonstrate that they meet the minimum income requirement and agree to provide financial support during the visitor’s stay.
Impact on Canadian Families
The latest policy change means families who have never had the chance to join the Parents and Grandparents Program must now wait indefinitely for further announcements from the federal government.
Those who already have applications in the system remain unaffected and can expect their files to continue through normal processing channels.
For everyone else, the Super Visa has become the only practical option for spending extended periods with parents or grandparents in Canada while permanent sponsorship remains unavailable.
What Happens Next?
At present, the federal government has not announced when, or if, a new intake for the Parents and Grandparents Program will be introduced.
Future changes will likely depend on application inventories, immigration targets, and Canada’s broader immigration strategy over the coming years.
Until a new registration process is announced, Canadians hoping to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence will need to wait for further government updates while considering temporary family reunification options such as the Super Visa.
