Canada: Permanent Residence Sponsorship Applications Under the Parents and Grandparents Program Pause Update

Update July 16, 2026: As of July 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has paused the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program. Throughout 2026, the government will process only up to 15,000 permanent residence applications that were already submitted under the program.  

Update July 17, 2025: Starting July 28, 2025 and over the course of two weeks, IRCC will be sending out invitations to apply to 10,000 interested potential sponsors, selected randomly from the pool of those who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 (but did not receive an invitation to apply in 2021-2024). Invitees will be able to submit online applications using the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal. As a reminder, those who are not invited to apply this year may consider having their parents or grandparents apply under Canada’s super visa program, which allows visits for up to five years per entry, renewable for up to two years at a time while in Canada.  

Update March 24, 2025: The government has issued an update for the Parents and Grandparents Program, stating it intends to process up to 10,000 applications for sponsorship in 2025. As in previous years (2020–2024), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will not open new interest to sponsor slots; instead, it will invite randomly selected potential sponsors from the existing 2020 pool.

January 6, 2025: The Canadian government has published a ministerial directive announcing that it will not accept any new applications for sponsorship for the Parents and Grandparents Program in 2025. During 2025, the government will only be processing up to 15,000 permanent resident visa applications received in 2024 under this program. The measure aligns with the government’s plan to reduce permanent resident targets over the next three years. The Parents and Grandparents Program allows sponsoring Canadian citizens or permanent residents to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada as permanent residents. As an alternative, Canadian citizens and permanent residents seeking to have their parents and grandparents join them in Canada may still be able to sponsor them under the Super Visa Program, a separate program that allows parents and grandparents to visit their Canadian or permanent resident children or grandchildren in Canada for an extended period. Affected foreign nationals should contact their immigration professionals for case-specific advice.