Canada: Permanent Residence Sponsorship Applications Under the Parents and Grandparents Program Paused
March 24, 2025
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.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
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