Ottawa Pauses Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship for 2025

The federal government has confirmed that it will not accept new applications in 2025 under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), headed by Minister Lena Diab, is presenting the decision as a responsible measure to manage a system where demand far exceeds available spots.

A Program Under Pressure

The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor a parent or grandparent for permanent residency. Over 60,500 applications are already in the system. Launched in 2020, the program attracted more than 200,000 expressions of interest from permanent residents and citizens hoping to sponsor a loved one—a pool of candidates the IRCC continues to draw from instead of reopening intake.

Processing Times Lengthen, Particularly in Quebec

Nationwide, the current wait time is about 33 months, but for applications bound for Quebec, it extends to 66 months—over five and a half years. Quebec’s smaller annual quota for sponsored individuals in this category contributes to the backlog.

Cap Remains Unchanged Despite Freeze

The suspension of new applications does not affect the government’s existing admission targets. The IRCC plans to grant permanent residency to up to 15,000 people in this category in both 2026 and 2027, as outlined in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. The plan sets an overall target of 380,000 new permanent residents annually between 2026 and 2028. The message is clear: applications already submitted will continue to be processed within this quota, but the door remains closed to those who have not yet applied.

Canada’s Immigration System Faces Wider Backlog

This freeze comes as the immigration system grapples with a broader administrative backlog. As of April 30, over 2.1 million immigration applications were in processing across the system, with more than 922,000 exceeding targeted service timelines. Still, between January and April 2025, 112,900 individuals were granted permanent resident status.

What Are the Alternatives for Affected Families?

For those hoping to submit a new application this year, the only remaining option is the Super Visa. This visa allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five consecutive years, with multiple entries permitted over a decade—but it does not grant permanent residency. The Super Visa is a visitor status: it does not provide access to provincial healthcare in most provinces, does not allow work, and the time spent under this status does not count toward a future permanent residency application.

Key Takeaways

This suspension highlights Ottawa’s strategy to manage family reunification demand by limiting new applications to address an already overwhelming backlog. For families separated from their parents or grandparents, the Super Visa offers a temporary solution—one that enables reunions but does not replace permanent residency. Given the potential for policy changes, families are encouraged to monitor the IRCC’s website for updates before taking any action.