Canada pauses new Parents and Grandparents sponsorship applications (July 2026)

On July 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it is pausing the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) — the pathway that lets Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence.

What exactly changed

According to the official notice published on canada.ca:

• IRCC will not receive new “interest to sponsor” forms and will not invite new potential sponsors to apply until further notice.
• Applications already submitted are not cancelled: IRCC continues to process them.
• IRCC plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the PGP in 2026, in line with the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

The department says interest in the program “continues to exceed the spaces available” and presents the pause as a way to reduce processing times and make timelines more predictable for families.

Who is affected

• Families who had not yet submitted an interest to sponsor form: you cannot join the queue for now. No date has been announced for reopening.
• Sponsors with a file already in the system: nothing changes — your application keeps moving.
• Spouses and children are NOT affected: this pause only concerns parents and grandparents. Sponsoring a spouse or dependent child continues normally — see our spousal sponsorship guide.

The main alternative: the super visa

IRCC explicitly points families to the super visa, which remains open. It allows parents and grandparents to:

• stay in Canada for up to 5 years per entry,
• with multiple entries over up to 10 years.

IRCC also notes it recently made the super visa more accessible by adjusting how the income requirement is calculated and by easing the health insurance requirement (details on canada.ca). The super visa does not lead to permanent residence by itself, but it is currently the most realistic option for long family stays.

What you can do now

1. If you planned to sponsor your parents, keep your proof of income organized — when the program reopens, invitations have historically been tied to previously submitted interest forms.
2. Look at the super visa conditions on canada.ca (medical exam, insurance, host income).
3. Parents with strong professional profiles can also explore economic immigration on their own merits, for example through Express Entry — see how to improve a CRS score.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change: always verify on canada.ca, the only official source.