Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Is Paused: What Now?

On July 15, 2026 IRCC paused intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program. It will not receive new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply until further notice, and the program page now shows its status as paused.

IRCC's reason: interest in the program keeps exceeding the spaces in the immigration levels plan. It says the pause is meant to reduce processing times and make them more predictable for families.

IRCC says it will keep processing existing applications. It plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the program in 2026, in line with the 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

IRCC has not given a date. The notice and the program page both say until further notice, and neither says whether the rules will change for a future intake. The program page's status line is the one to watch.

IRCC points families to the super visa. It lets a parent or grandparent visit a child or grandchild for 5 years at a time, with multiple entries for up to 10 years, and a visitor on a super visa can apply to extend the stay by 2 years while still in Canada. IRCC also says it recently changed the income and health insurance requirements to make the super visa more accessible.

It is a visit, not permanent residence. The host has to meet an income minimum and the parent needs qualifying medical insurance: see the host income table and the insurance rules, then the document checklist. If a shorter visit is enough, the super visa and visitor visa comparison sets out the difference.

For a file already submitted, whether anything is outstanding. For a visit now, the host's income against the super visa table, the insurance policy and the parent's travel history. And if intake reopens, the sponsor's income and family size records, so the file does not start from nothing.