Canada will cease accepting new applications for permanent residence under the Parents and Grandparents sponsorship program (PGP) in 2025, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The department clarified that it will only process sponsorship applications submitted during the 2024 intake period for the program.
In 2025, IRCC plans to process no more than 15,000 family sponsorship applications under the PGP. However, Canadian citizens and permanent residents still have the option to facilitate extended stays for their parents and grandparents through the super visa program. This alternative permits visits lasting up to five years per stay.
Understanding the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program
The Parents and Grandparents Program is designed to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residency in Canada. Given its popularity, the program employs a lottery system to manage application invitations, as the number of interested sponsors often far exceeds the available slots.
Since the 2020 intake period, IRCC has been using this lottery system to send invitations, continuing the process annually through 2024. Those who submitted their interest forms in 2020 have had the opportunity to apply for sponsorship as part of this system.
Reason for Suspension
The decision to halt new applications in 2025 aligns with a broader reduction in Canada’s immigration targets. IRCC has cut its permanent resident targets by 20% for 2025, directly impacting the PGP allocation.
The new target for PGP landings in 2025 has been set at 24,500 foreign nationals. This is a notable decrease from the targets outlined in the Immigration Levels Plan released in 2023, which had aimed for 32,000 landings in 2024 and 34,000 in 2025.
By adjusting these targets, IRCC appears to be managing its resources to focus on existing applications while balancing broader immigration goals. For families wishing to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada, the super visa program remains a viable and flexible option.
This strategic shift underscores the challenges of managing immigration priorities amid competing demands, offering alternatives like the super visa to ensure families can still maintain connections.