Canada’s immigration department has temporarily halted new applications for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP), which allows Canadians and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency. The pause, announced Wednesday by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), affects the submission of formal expressions of interest and invitations to apply, leaving thousands of families waiting to reunite.
IRCC framed the move as part of broader efforts to balance immigration programs and improve processing times, while maintaining public confidence in the system. According to Taous Ait, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, decisions to open or pause the program are based on annual assessments of demand and application inventories. The agency said it will continue processing applications already underway, with a target of settling up to 15,000 sponsored parents and grandparents this year, in line with the government’s 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
The PGP, which has operated with high demand since its establishment, uses a lottery-like system introduced in 2020, requiring potential sponsors to submit expressions of interest before being invited to apply. At the program’s inception, more than 200,000 individuals expressed interest, with about 54,000 remaining in the 2020 pool as of September 2025. Despite this, the government reduced the annual immigration target for parents and grandparents from 21,500 in the 2025-2027 plan to 15,000 for each year of the current plan.
Critics argue the system’s structure is flawed and leads to excessive delays. Jenny Kwan, the New Democratic Party (NDP) immigration critic, condemned the decision to suspend new intakes, describing it as a “shameful” move that undermines family reunification. She warned that the backlog could take decades to clear, further prolonging the separation of families.
Calgary-based immigration lawyer Yameena Ansari highlighted the human impact of the lengthy wait times, noting some applicants have died during the process. She described the lottery system as intermittent, with application windows opening briefly every two years or so, followed by long periods of closure. Ansari also suggested the government may be reluctant to admit older immigrants due to concerns about healthcare costs, forcing many families to rely on temporary “super visas” that allow extended but temporary visits without access to public health services.
To sponsor parents or grandparents, Canadian residents must meet income thresholds and agree to financially support their family members, who, once accepted, become permanent residents with healthcare access but without eligibility for social assistance benefits. The pause in accepting new applications leaves many families uncertain about when they can expect to reunite with loved ones.