TORONTO, July 16, 2026 – For families who have been waiting to bring parents or grandparents to Canada permanently, the application path has once again entered a period of uncertainty. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced on July 15 that it is pausing the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program, or PGP. Until further notice, the government will not open a new interest-to-sponsor form and will not invite new potential sponsors to submit applications.
This means that families who have not yet received an invitation currently have no direct pathway to enter a new round of PGP applications. In recent years, the PGP has operated through an invitation system, with far fewer spaces than the number of families hoping to sponsor parents or grandparents. The 2025 intake was still drawn from people who had submitted interest-to-sponsor forms in 2020. A total of 17,860 invitations were issued, with the goal of accepting up to 10,000 complete applications. That application period ended on October 9, 2025. Now that both new interest forms and new invitations are paused, families still waiting can only continue watching for whether the policy reopens.
However, the pause does not mean that applications already submitted will stop being processed. IRCC says existing PGP applications will continue to be processed, and the department plans to approve up to 15,000 people as permanent residents through the program in 2026. In other words, families who have already successfully received an invitation and submitted a complete application will not lose eligibility because of this pause. The greatest impact is on those still waiting for an invitation and those who have never had the opportunity to submit an interest-to-sponsor form.
For many Chinese and newcomer families, the long-standing difficulty with the PGP is not only the length of the wait, but the uncertainty over when they will even have a chance to formally apply. Some families entered the pool of potential sponsors as early as 2020 and have since had to wait for random government invitations. Those who became permanent residents or Canadian citizens after 2020, meanwhile, have not had a new opportunity to submit an interest-to-sponsor form.
Whether parents can come to Canada also directly affects the daily reality of many families. For newcomer families with young children, having parents come to Canada often means help with child care and less pressure on the household. For families who have lived in Canada for many years, aging parents and long-term cross-border separation make reunification even more urgent. With new PGP applications paused again, some families who had hoped for the next intake may need to reconsider their plans for bringing parents to Canada.
IRCC currently continues to point to the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa as another option for family reunification. Eligible parents and grandparents can stay in Canada for up to five years at a time under a super visa and may receive multiple-entry status for up to 10 years. The Canadian government has also recently adjusted income and medical insurance requirements related to the super visa.
However, the super visa and the PGP are not interchangeable. The PGP is a permanent resident sponsorship program, while the super visa remains a temporary resident visa. Applicants must separately meet requirements related to family income, medical insurance and other conditions, and receiving a super visa does not automatically lead to permanent resident status.
For families waiting to reunite with parents, the most important step now is to confirm which situation applies to them. Those who have already submitted a complete PGP application can continue checking their status through IRCC systems. Those who remain in the 2020 pool of potential sponsors but have not received an invitation will not receive a new invitation at this time. Families who have never submitted an interest-to-sponsor form will need to wait for the government to reopen the program.
Because IRCC is currently using the wording “paused until further notice,” it has not announced a specific date for the next reopening. Families planning to sponsor parents should also be cautious about claims involving “internal spots” or “early entry into the application pool.” Unless the government reopens applications, immigration consultants cannot obtain additional PGP spaces for applicants.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
