Canada Just Paused New Applications for Parents and Grandparents. Here's What Still Works.

As of July 15, 2026, IRCC has paused new intake under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). No new interest-to-sponsor forms are being accepted, and no new invitations to apply are going out, until further notice. IRCC will keep processing the applications already in the system, aiming to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through PGP this year.

The reason given is blunt and, frankly, accurate: demand for this program has consistently outpaced the number of spots available under the Immigration Levels Plan. Rather than keep inviting people into a queue that isn't moving fast enough, IRCC has stopped the queue from growing.

What actually changed

• New interest-to-sponsor forms are not being accepted under PGP, and no new invitations to apply are being issued, until further notice.
• Existing PGP applications continue processing normally, with up to 15,000 approvals targeted for 2026.
• The Super Visa remains fully available: up to 5 years per visit, multiple entries over a validity of up to 10 years.
• Income and health insurance requirements for the Super Visa were recently eased, making it more accessible than it used to be.

Why this matters

If permanent residence for a parent or grandparent was the plan, that door is closed for now, with no reopening date announced. That's a real disappointment, and I'm not going to dress it up as anything else.

But the Super Visa isn't a consolation prize. For a lot of families, it accomplishes the actual goal, having your parents genuinely present in your life, for years at a time, without the years-long wait a PGP application currently carries. It's not permanent residence, and it's worth being honest with yourself about what that distinction means for your specific family. But it's real, it's current, and it just got easier to qualify for.

If you're trying to figure out whether the Super Visa fits your family's situation, or what your options look like while PGP intake is paused, book a consultation and let's map it out properly.

Source: Canada takes steps to responsibly manage the Parents and Grandparents Program

Photo credit: Photo by Alina Autumn on Pexels