Canadian Government Halts Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program

Canadian citizens and permanent residents will no longer be able to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence, as the federal government announces a pause in the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).

The government’s decision, revealed in a news release on July 15, 2026, states that no new interest to sponsor forms will be accepted, and potential sponsors will not be invited to apply until further notice.

However, the immigration department will continue processing existing PGP sponsorship applications, aiming to approve 15,000 applications for permanent residence in 2026. Currently, there are 50,900 applications in the PGP inventory.

Annual Admission Targets

According to the latest immigration levels plan, the federal government has set annual PGP admissions targets as follows:

• 2026: 15,000
• 2027: 15,000
• 2028: 15,000

For applicants who submitted in July 2025, the expected processing time is 18 months for those settling outside Quebec and 54 months for those intending to settle in Quebec.

The PGP, a pathway for family reunification to permanent residence, operates on a lottery system due to high demand.

In 2020, during a three-week intake period, the government received over 200,000 unique submissions from interested sponsors. Subsequently, from 2020 to 2025, invitations were randomly sent to those who submitted interest forms in 2020, allowing them to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence.

Since 2020, there have been no new opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents to submit interest forms for the PGP lottery.

The government suggests potential sponsors explore the super visa program as an alternative for parents and grandparents seeking extended stays in Canada.