Canada pauses parent and grandparent sponsorship applications to manage system
The federal government will not accept new applications this year from people wanting to sponsor parents and grandparents to Canada, with 60,500 files already in progress.
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The federal government will not accept any new applications this year from people who want to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada.
The Immigration Department said the change is part of an effort to responsibly manage the system. Currently, 60,500 applications are in progress, and the government expects to approve 15,000 parents and grandparents in each of the next two years from those existing files.
The pause on accepting new applications is in effect until further notice. The decision was made to reduce wait times, which currently average about three years. The parent and grandparent sponsorship program was launched in 2020, when more than 200,000 permanent residents and citizens expressed interest in sponsoring a parent or grandparent to come to Canada.
By the numbers
How many parent and grandparent sponsorship applications are currently in progress?
60,500 applications are in progress as of July 15, 2026.
How many parents and grandparents does Canada expect to approve annually from existing applications?
The government expects to approve 15,000 parents and grandparents in each of the next two years from files already submitted.
What is the current average wait time for parent and grandparent sponsorship?
The current average wait time is about three years.
