Canada has officially suspended the acceptance of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program, better known as the PGP. This is one of the most important family immigration programs, which allowed Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to obtain permanent resident status.
The decision took effect on July 15, 2026. Effective immediately, IRCC will no longer accept new “Interest to Sponsor” forms or send new invitations to potential sponsors until further notice.
For many families, this is devastating news—especially for those who have waited years for Canada to finally open a new intake so they could express interest in sponsoring their parents or grandparents.
What Has Changed
The main change is simple: new applications under the PGP are not currently being accepted.
This means that if you haven’t already submitted an Interest to Sponsor form, you cannot now begin the process of sponsoring your parents or grandparents for permanent residence.
IRCC will also not be issuing new rounds of invitations to potential sponsors until the program reopens or the government announces a different decision.
However, this does not mean that all applications already submitted have been canceled. IRCC will continue to process cases that are already in the system.
Why This Matters
The Parents and Grandparents Program has always been very popular. For many immigrants, it was a chance to reunite with their families not on a temporary basis, but permanently.
However, for years, demand for the program has far exceeded the number of available spots. Because of this, Canada used a random selection system rather than a standard first-come, first-served queue.
In fact, after 2020, a new full round of “Interest to Sponsor” form submissions was never opened. All invitations in subsequent years were sent to people from the pool of those who had submitted the form back in 2020.
Now the government has officially confirmed: new forms will not be accepted, and new invitations will not be sent until further notice.
What Will Happen to Applications Already Submitted
For those who have already received an invitation and submitted a complete application, the situation is different. These cases will not be automatically closed.
IRCC states that it will continue to process applications that have already been submitted. In 2026, Canada plans to grant permanent residence to up to 15,000 people through the PGP.
The same target—15,000—is also set for 2027 and 2028.
In other words, the program isn’t disappearing entirely for those whose applications are already in the system. But for new potential sponsors, the door is currently closed.
Why the government suspended the program
IRCC’s official explanation is the need to better manage the immigration system and make it more predictable.
Simply put, there were far more applications and applicants than spots available under the immigration plan. As a result, a backlog built up, and processing times remained very long.
At the time the decision was announced, there were approximately 50,900 applications under the PGP program in the system. This is a large volume of cases that need to be processed even without new applications.
That is why the government decided not to accept new applications into the system until the backlog is reduced.
How long might those who have already applied have to wait
Processing times depend on where the parents or grandparents plan to live after receiving their status.
For applications submitted in July 2025, the estimated remaining processing time was:
- about 18 months for families planning to live outside Quebec;
- about 54 months for those planning to settle in Quebec.
This once again illustrates why the program has become so difficult to manage. Even without a new intake, some applicants will have to wait for years.
What alternatives remain
The main alternative at this time remains the Super Visa.
The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit Canada for an extended period. It can allow a stay of up to 5 years per entry, and the visa itself can be multiple-entry and valid for up to 10 years.
But it’s important to understand: the Super Visa does not grant permanent residence.
It is a temporary status for family visits, not an immigration program for permanent relocation. Therefore, for families who specifically wanted to bring their parents to Canada permanently, the Super Visa is not a complete replacement for the PGP.
What This Means for Immigrants in Canada
For many immigrants, this decision will be a disappointment. Parents often help with the children, support the family, and become an important part of life after moving.
When it’s not possible to apply for permanent sponsorship, families have to plan their lives differently: through temporary visits, the Super Visa, longer gaps between visits, or constantly waiting for new decisions from IRCC.
It is especially difficult for those who did not manage to submit the Interest to Sponsor form in 2020. For them, the chance to be included in the PGP never actually materialized.