Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has announced that it is no longer accepting new sponsorship applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program.
Starting January 1, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is no longer accepting new sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents under the Parents and Grandparents Program.
2026 Intake Closed
New Ministerial Instructions for Parents and Grandparents Program for the 2026 calendar year have come into effect on January 1, 2026.
These instructions give the IRCC the authority to accept up to 10,000 applications for parents and grandparents under the Parents and Grandparents Program beginning on January 1, 2026. This means that only those applications received as part of the 2025 intake will be accepted for processing in 2026. New applications will not be accepted by IRCC.
The new rules also specify that as of January 1, 2026, no new permanent resident visa applications made by parents or grandparents of a sponsor, and no sponsorship applications made in relation to those applications, are to be received for processing until further instructions are issued.
However, sponsorship applications from 2025 for permanent resident visas by sponsors’ parents or grandparents under the family class will be accepted for processing in the 2026 calendar year, from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
2025 Intake
Starting July 28, 2025, IRCC invited potential sponsors who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020 to apply for the 2025 intake. IRCC sent 17,860 invitations over approximately 2 weeks to accept 10,000 complete applications. The last day to apply was October 9, 2025.
Alternate Option
One may consider having their parents or grandparents apply for a super visa, which is a multiple-entry visa that is valid for up to 10 years. Super visa holders can stay in Canada for 5 years at a time, with the option to extend their visit by up to two years at a time without leaving the country.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has stopped accepting new sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents under the Parents and Grandparents Program, starting January 1, 2026. The new dates have not been announced yet.