Canada puts parent, grandparent sponsorships on hold for 2026

Canada has suspended new Parents and Grandparents Program sponsorships from January 1, 2026, to clear backlogs and meet revised immigration targets. (File Photo)

Canada has paused accepting new sponsorship applications under its Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) effective January 1, 2026, citing adjustments to immigration targets and the need to clear existing backlogs.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the department responsible for immigration matters, said new ministerial instructions prohibit the intake of new sponsorship and permanent residence applications under the PGP “until further notice”. The move follows the closure of the limited 2025 intake and is aligned with changes outlined in Canada’s 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan.

The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency.

In 2025, IRCC conducted a restricted intake drawn solely from the remaining pool of “interest to sponsor” forms submitted in 2020. Invitations to apply were issued from July 28, 2025, with 17,860 invitations sent over about two weeks. The department aimed to accept up to 10,000 complete applications by October 9, 2025. That intake has now closed, and no further applications from the 2025 round will be accepted.

Under Ministerial Instructions 89, which came into force on January 1, 2026, IRCC will continue processing up to 10,000 PGP applications received during the 2025 intake through the course of 2026. However, the instructions make clear that no new applications by parents or grandparents, or related sponsorship applications, will be received for processing until further directions are issued.

IRCC said the pause is an administrative step to allow continued processing of existing files and to better align new intakes with available spaces in the family reunification category. Canada’s latest immigration levels plan has reduced overall permanent resident targets, citing pressures on housing, infrastructure and public services.

Processing times for PGP applications remain lengthy, at about 24 months for applicants outside Quebec and up to 48 months for those destined for Quebec, reflecting provincial admission caps.

As an alternative, IRCC continues to promote the super visa, which allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five years per entry, with multiple entries permitted over 10 years. Recent changes have eased the requirements for private health insurance for the visa.