Toronto: Canada has indefinitely paused taking fresh applications for a programme that provided parents and grandparents of immigrants a pathway to permanent resident (PR) status.
Pausing of the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program was announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday.
In a statement, IRCC said that the Government of Canada “is taking steps to maintain a well-managed, sustainable immigration system that works for newcomers and Canadians alike” and as “part of these efforts” it was “pausing the intake of new applications” under the programme.
Citing the 2025-27 immigration levels plan presented before parliament last year, IRCC said it will continue to process existing applications and plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the PGP Program this year. “This approach will help reduce processing times and improve predictability for families,” it noted.
It added that interest in the programme “continues to exceed the spaces available under the levels plan” and to “manage this pressure responsibly”, it will not receive new interest to sponsor forms or invite potential sponsors to apply until further notice.
It said that family reunification remains an “important pillar” of the country’s immigration system and as such parents and grandparents of immigrants could avail of the Super Visa which allows them to visit their children or grandchildren for 5 years at a time and provides multiple entries to Canada for up to 10 years.
The programme was launched in 2020 and 60,500 applications already in progress, with processing times exceeding two-and-a-half years, the agency Canadian Press reported.
According to the figures given in the levels plan submitted last year, the number of persons admitted under the programme in 2024 was 27,330, a decline of 3.5% from 2023.
In 2023, 28,313 individuals were admitted under the parent and grandparent category, representing a 4% increase from 2022.
In 2024, IRCC approved 53,695 super visa applications. In 2023, a total of 73,113 super visa applications were approved, representing a 26.6% decrease in the following year.
