The Canadian government has implemented a temporary freeze on accepting new submissions for its Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). The decision is designed to address a persistent backlog of interest that continues to outpace the country’s designated immigration caps.
Under the PGP, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their elder relatives for permanent residency.
Sponsors must commit to financially supporting their relatives and ensuring they do not rely on public social assistance for a set duration—lasting 20 years in most Canadian provinces and 10 years in Quebec.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed that the intake freeze will remain in place indefinitely.
“Interest in the PGP Program continues to exceed the spaces available under the levels plan. To manage this pressure responsibly, IRCC will not receive new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply until further notice,” Ottawa announced.
While new applications are blocked, immigration officials stated that they will proceed with reviewing and finalizing the files already in their pipeline. They also intend to stick to their established targets for the program.
Specifically, the agency stated it will:
“continue to process existing applications and plan to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the PGP Program in 2026, in line with the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.”
The government highlighted that alternative avenues are still available for families wishing to bring their older relatives to Canada.
“Family reunification remains an important pillar of Canada’s immigration system. Parents and grandparents continue to be able to visit their children and grandchildren in Canada through the super visa, which allows them to visit their children or grandchildren for 5 years at a time and provides multiple entries to Canada for up to 10 years,” it added.
Historically, Canada has been viewed as a prime global destination for immigrants looking for career advancement and a high quality of life.
However, federal leaders have recently scaled back overall immigration targets to control demographic growth as public support for high immigration volumes has waned.