Canada has officially closed the door — at least for now — on new applications to sponsor parents and grandparents for permanent residence. According to a government announcement released on July 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is pausing intake under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) until further notice, with no new interest-to-sponsor forms being accepted and no new invitations being issued.
What’s Actually Changing
This isn’t a new development in the sense that the program has been open recently — in fact, there hasn’t been a fresh intake since 2020, when the government received over 200,000 interest-to-sponsor submissions in a single three-week window. Since then, the PGP has operated purely through an invitation lottery drawn from that 2020 pool. What’s changed now is that IRCC has confirmed there is no active plan to reopen the pool to new applicants, effectively closing this pathway indefinitely for anyone who missed the 2020 window.
IRCC will continue processing the roughly 50,000 applications already in its inventory, with a target of approving 15,000 PGP permanent residence applications in 2026 — a target that, under the current Immigration Levels Plan, is set to hold steady at 15,000 per year through 2028 as well. For applicants who submitted in July 2025, current processing time estimates sit at 18 months for those settling outside Quebec, and considerably longer — 54 months — for those settling in Quebec.
What Affected Families Should Consider Instead
For families who never received an invitation to sponsor, or who are only now considering bringing parents or grandparents to Canada, IRCC is pointing toward the Super Visa as the practical alternative. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to visit for up to five years at a time, with the visa itself valid for up to 10 years — a significant upgrade over standard visitor status, which typically caps out at six months.
That said, a Super Visa is not permanent residence, and it comes with its own set of requirements: a formal letter of invitation from the Canadian host, mandatory health insurance for the full duration of the stay, and proof that the host meets minimum income requirements to financially support the visiting parent or grandparent. Applicants must also satisfy standard temporary resident entry requirements, including demonstrating a clear intention to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay.
Altec Insight
At Altec Global Inc, led by Founder and CEO 江文珊女士, we understand how significant this news is for families who have been hoping to bring parents or grandparents to Canada permanently. With the PGP effectively on hold, the Super Visa has become an even more important tool — and getting the application right the first time matters more than ever, particularly around financial sponsorship documentation and demonstrating genuine visitor intent.
For families still waiting on applications already submitted under the PGP, staying informed on processing timelines and ensuring your file remains complete and responsive to IRCC requests is essential.
Whether you’re exploring Super Visa options for the first time or need guidance on an existing PGP application in the queue, Altec Global Inc’s team brings over 30 years of experience navigating shifting Canadian immigration policy. We’re here to help you find the right path forward for your family.
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