If you’ve been holding out hope to bring your parents or grandparents over to Canada, finding out the sponsorship program is frozen again can feel like a total gut punch.
When you’re working hard to build a life here, watching your parents get older from across the world, or wishing they were right in the living room to see their grandkids grow up, policy freezes hit hard. It feels completely unfair.
On July 15, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officially froze the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). No new Interest to Sponsor forms will be accepted, and no invitations will be sent out for the rest of the year.
As frustrating as this update is, a paused program doesn’t mean your family is completely stuck. Here is a clear breakdown of why IRCC froze the process, along with the most reliable alternative route to bring your parents here without waiting on a lottery.
Why Is the PGP Paused Right Now?
To understand how we got here, it helps to look at how IRCC has handled this program over the last few years.
Instead of an open application system, the PGP runs on a lottery. Prospective sponsors submit an initial interest form, and IRCC randomly selects candidates to submit full permanent residency applications.
The catch? IRCC hasn’t opened the portal for new interest submissions since late 2020. Every single year since, including the 2025 round where they sent out nearly 18,000 invitations, they’ve just pulled names from that leftover 2020 list.
With hundreds of thousands of people trying to sponsor their parents and only a fraction of permanent residency spots allocated in the national immigration plan, the system backed up. IRCC states that pausing new entries allows officers to process files already in the queue and lower processing times for families who have been waiting for years.
Your Best Alternative: The Super Visa
If you didn’t put your name on that 2020 list, you can’t submit a new permanent residency sponsorship right now. However, that doesn’t mean your parents can’t move to Canada to be with you.
The Super Visa is completely open, runs year-round, and isn’t tied to any lottery draws.
- Status: It’s a multi-entry visitor visa, not permanent residency.
- Length of Stay: It allows your parents or grandparents to stay in Canada for up to 5 years per visit (and the visa itself can be valid for up to 10 years).
- Extensions: They can even apply to extend their stay by another 2 years from inside Canada.
- Speed: Instead of waiting years for a PR application to process, Super Visa approvals usually take just a few weeks or months.
For most families who want to be under the same roof, the Super Visa gets everyone together much faster.
Super Visa Document Checklist
To apply for a Super Visa, you need to prove two main things: that you can financially support your parents while they’re here, and that they have proper health coverage.
1. Sponsor Requirements (Child or Grandchild in Canada)
- Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence (copy of PR card, birth certificate, or citizenship card).
- Your most recent Notice of Assessment (NOA) from the CRA showing you meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) threshold for your household size.
- An employment letter from your boss showing what you do, when you started, and what you get paid, along with your latest pay stubs.
- A signed letter from you promising to cover your parents’ expenses while they stay with you.
2. Applicant Requirements (Parents or Grandparents)
- A valid passport with plenty of time before expiration.
- Proof of private health insurance from a Canadian insurance provider, valid for at least 1 year, covering healthcare and emergency hospitalization (minimum $100,000 in coverage).
- Confirmation of a completed medical exam by an IRCC-approved panel physician.
- Proof of relationship showing they are your parent or grandparent (such as your long-form birth certificate).
What to Keep in Mind for Arrival and Interviews
Super Visa applications are processed online, but border officers will ask your parents a few basic questions when they land at the airport in Canada.
- Keep their paperwork in hand: Tell your parents to keep their Super Visa approval letter, proof of Canadian health insurance, and a copy of your invitation letter in their carry-on bag rather than stowed in packed luggage.
- Clarify the visit intent: Border guards want to make sure your parents understand they are entering on visitor status. Remind your parents to speak naturally about visiting family and staying for the approved time.
- Be clear about healthcare: If asked, your parents should confirm they have active Canadian medical insurance and won’t need public healthcare support.
Don’t let the PGP pause put your family’s plans completely on hold. If you meet the income requirements and get their health insurance sorted, the Super Visa is the fastest way to get your parents or grandparents on a plane to Canada.
To check the current income tables or start a Super Visa application online, head straight to the official government portal:
