Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Canada: Status, Rules and Your Options
IRCC has paused the Parents and Grandparents Program. It is not taking new interest to sponsor forms or sending invitations until further notice, but it still processes existing applications. Your parents and grandparents can still visit you on a Super Visa for 5 years at a time.
since 1991
What is the Parents and Grandparents Program?
The Parents and Grandparents Program lets a Canadian citizen, PR or registered Indian sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence. You could only apply if IRCC invited you after you submitted an interest to sponsor form. IRCC has now paused the program.
What did IRCC announce?
On 15 July 2026, IRCC paused the intake of new applications. It will keep processing existing applications and plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence in 2026. It will not receive new interest to sponsor forms or invite sponsors until further notice.
What this means for you
- If you were invited in 2025 and applied, your file keeps moving
- If you were not invited, you cannot join the program now
- Your parents can still visit on a Super Visa
- We update this page if IRCC reopens the program
Where do you stand?
Find your situation below.
If you have an application in
- You were invited in 2025 and applied by 9 October 2025
- Your file is being processed
- Keep your contact details and documents up to date
- Answer every IRCC request fast
If you have no application
- You cannot submit a new interest to sponsor form now
- Consider a Super Visa for long visits
- Watch IRCC for any reopening
- Ask us about other routes for your parents
Read our Super Visa guide, the pause explained, or see the family sponsorship hub.
Who could sponsor, and who could be sponsored
These are IRCC’s rules for the program. Source: IRCC.
Sponsor status
You must be invited, be at least 18 and a citizen, PR or registered Indian, and live in Canada. Your address must stay in Canada until IRCC decides.
Income
You must meet IRCC’s income table for each of the 3 tax years before you apply. Your spouse or partner can co-sign to combine incomes.
Undertaking
You support your parents for 20 years, or 10 in Quebec, from the day they become PRs. Nobody can cancel it.
Who you can sponsor
Your parents and grandparents by blood or adoption, plus their dependent children, such as your siblings. You cannot sponsor your in-laws.
Bars
You cannot sponsor if you are in jail, behind on certain payments, have an undischarged bankruptcy, receive social assistance other than for disability, or have a removal order.
Not sure where you stand?
We review your invitation, your file and your options, then tell you your next step.
How the program worked
Interest to sponsor
Sponsors submitted a short online form. IRCC then randomly selected people and invited them to apply.
IRCC accepted up to 10,000 complete applications. It invited 17,860 people from the 2020 pool, and the last day to apply was 9 October 2025.
Your options while the program is paused
You have more choices than waiting. These are the practical ones.
How the program worked, step by step
Six stages the program followed before the pause.
Submit an interest to sponsor form
You told IRCC you wanted to sponsor your parents or grandparents.
IRCC invites sponsors at random
IRCC randomly selected people from the pool and sent invitations to apply.
Sponsor and parents apply
Invited sponsors applied within the deadline, with their parents’ application and the fees.
IRCC checks the file
IRCC checks the sponsor’s income and the file, then asks for medicals, police certificates and biometrics.
IRCC decides
IRCC decides on the sponsor and on your parents’ permanent residence.
Your parents become PRs
If approved, your parents become permanent residents and your 20-year undertaking begins.
Fees and income
IRCC fees and the income table for the 2025 intake, checked 4 October 2026. Last updated: October 2026.
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Parents and grandparents sponsorship FAQs
Is the Parents and Grandparents Program open?
No. IRCC paused the program and is not accepting new applications. It is not taking new interest to sponsor forms or sending invitations until further notice, and it keeps processing existing applications.
When will the program reopen?
IRCC has not given a date. It says the pause lasts until further notice. We update this page if IRCC announces a change.
What happens to my application if I was invited in 2025?
IRCC says it will keep processing existing applications and plans to approve up to 15,000 people in 2026. Keep your contact details and documents current and answer every IRCC request quickly.
Can I submit an interest to sponsor form now?
No. IRCC will not receive new interest to sponsor forms until further notice. You can only apply if IRCC has invited you.
Can my parents visit while the program is paused?
Yes. The Super Visa lets parents and grandparents visit for 5 years at a time, with multiple entries for up to 10 years. Read our Super Visa guide. Read our visitor visa guide and the visit Canada hub. See our visitor visa for parents guide and the Super Visa comparison.
Can I apply for a Super Visa while my sponsorship is pending?
Yes. IRCC says your parent can apply for a Super Visa while waiting for a sponsorship decision, or you can withdraw the sponsorship and apply for a Super Visa. See our guide on applying while your file is pending.
How long is the sponsorship undertaking?
The undertaking lasts 20 years, or 10 years in Quebec, from the day your parents become permanent residents. Nobody can cancel or shorten it, even if your situation changes.
Who can I sponsor under the program?
You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents by blood or adoption, and their dependent children, such as your siblings. If your parents are divorced, you submit separate applications for each of them. Read our guide to sponsoring a child or relative.
Can I sponsor my in-laws?
No. You cannot sponsor your spouse or partner’s parents or grandparents. If your spouse or partner receives their own invitation, you can co-sign their application.
What income did sponsors need?
Sponsors met IRCC’s income table for each of the 3 tax years before they applied. For the 2025 intake, a family of 2 needed $47,549 for 2024 and a family of 4 needed $70,972. A spouse or partner could co-sign to combine incomes. For the Super Visa, which has a different income table, use our Super Visa income calculator.
How long do existing files take?
IRCC publishes the time for parents and grandparents files and updates it every month. See our family processing times page for the current figure.
What are my other options?
The Super Visa and the visitor visa let your parents spend time in Canada now. Whether another route fits depends on your parents’ own situation, so talk to a licensed professional. See the family sponsorship hub for every family route.