Canada will not accept new applications this year from citizens and permanent residents seeking to bring their parents or grandparents to the country as permanent residents. The pause applies to the Parent and Grandparent Program and will remain in effect until further notice.
The decision leaves families with fewer permanent-residence options while the federal government works through a large queue of pending cases. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said demand continues to exceed the number of available spaces in the program.
A large backlog behind the pause
There are already 60,500 parent and grandparent sponsorship applications in progress, according to IRCC. Processing times are about 33 months outside Quebec and can reach up to 66 months in Quebec.
| Measure | Current figure | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Applications in progress | 60,500 | Parent and grandparent cases already being processed |
| Processing time outside Quebec | About 33 months | Estimated wait for the program |
| Processing time in Quebec | Up to 66 months | Longer estimated wait in the province |
| Permanent-residence admissions | Up to 15,000 in 2026 and 2027 | Planned approvals under the immigration levels plan |
The department said the intake halt is intended to manage the system responsibly and reduce waiting times. The pause does not alter the government’s plan to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence in 2026 and 2027 through the program.
Families can still use the Super Visa
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can still apply for a Canada Super Visa for their parents and grandparents. The temporary visa allows eligible relatives to visit for up to five years at a time and for up to 10 years in total.
The sponsorship program began in 2020 after more than 200,000 permanent residents and citizens submitted expressions of interest. In subsequent years, thousands of people from that pool were selected to submit formal applications.
Broader pressure on the immigration system
The pause comes as the federal government pursues a broader effort to limit growth in immigration volumes and address processing delays. Its immigration levels plan sets a target of 380,000 permanent resident admissions annually from 2026 through 2028, while sharply reducing temporary worker and student visas in 2026 compared with 2025.
As of April 30, IRCC had more than 2.1 million applications across all immigration streams. More than 922,000 were considered backlogged because they had exceeded the department’s service standards.
Less than half of permanent-residence applications were processed within those standards, based on publicly available government data cited by www.cbc.ca. Between January and April, 112,900 people became permanent residents through various programs.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab said in a social-media video in May that the government is “working to restore control and sustainability to our immigration system.” The government has also tightened asylum-claim eligibility and gained authority to cancel visas on a broad scale under legislation passed in March.
Public attitudes toward immigration have also become more politically charged. Briefing materials prepared for Diab in 2025 said government polling showed support for immigration fell in 2023 and 2024 to its lowest level in three decades.