In a significant move affecting thousands of Indian families, the Canadian government has confirmed it will not reopen the popular Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) for new applications in 2026. This extends the ongoing suspension announced for 2025, continuing the freeze on a key pathway for family reunification.
Processing Backlog and Limited Intake for 2026
The immigration authorities, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), will focus solely on clearing the existing backlog. Only applications received before 2025 will be processed, with a strict cap of a maximum of 10,000 complete applications to be finalized. The program is currently closed to any new submissions.
This decision stems from a massive backlog identified a few years ago. By the end of 2023, over 40,000 parent and grandparent sponsorship applications were still pending. The halt initiated in 2025, and now extended to 2026, aims to address this pile-up before accepting any new sponsorships.
The Super Visa: Recommended Alternative for Families
With the PGP pathway blocked, immigration consultants are strongly advising those wishing to bring family members to Canada to consider the Super Visa. This visa does not lead to permanent residency but allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five years at a time, and it is renewable. It serves as a long-term visit visa, providing a temporary solution for family reunification.
The PGP was designed to help Canadian permanent residents and citizens sponsor their parents and grandparents for Canadian permanent residence. Successful applicants under this program could work and access provincial healthcare. Sponsors must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents who commit to financially supporting their family members for a period of 20 years from the day they gain permanent resident status.
Context of Canada's Broader Immigration Targets
This freeze aligns with Canada's adjusted immigration strategy. The country plans to reduce the total number of new permanent residents by four percent from the previous year, aiming to grant permanent resident status to approximately 380,000 individuals in 2026.
The last intake process for the PGP occurred in 2025, targeting a specific pool of candidates. After announcing the halt on January 1, 2025, IRCC invited potential sponsors who had submitted an interest to sponsor back in 2020. This application window ran from July 28, 2025, to October 9, 2025. During this period, IRCC sent out 17,860 invitations but planned to accept only 10,000 fully completed applications.
For the Indian diaspora in Canada, this extended pause means longer waits and the need to explore alternative routes like the Super Visa to bring their elderly parents and grandparents closer to home.
