Canada pauses new parent and grandparent sponsorship applications for 2026

The federal government says it will not accept any new applications this year under Canada's Parents and Grandparents Program as it works to reduce processing times and manage a large backlog of existing files.

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), approximately 60,500 sponsorship applications are currently being processed. The department said it expects to approve about 15,000 parents and grandparents each year over the next two years from applications already in the system.

IRCC said the temporary pause is intended to improve processing efficiency. The department noted that applicants currently wait an average of three years for a decision under the program.

The Parents and Grandparents Program reopened in 2020 after more than 200,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents submitted expressions of interest to sponsor eligible family members. No timeline has been announced for when the government will begin accepting new applications again, and the pause remains in effect until further notice.