Pause on Parent and Grandparent Sponsorships

Summary#

These are Ministerial Instructions under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. They say that, starting January 1, 2026, new sponsorship or permanent resident visa applications for parents and grandparents will not be accepted for processing — only certain applications already received in 2025 will be. The Instructions allow up to 10,000 sponsorship applications received in 2025 to be processed in 2026. The Instructions were signed on December 12, 2025 by The Hon. Lena Metlege Diab, ECNS, KC, P.C., M.P.

What it does#

• Stops accepting any new permanent resident visa applications by parents or grandparents, and related sponsorship applications, for processing as of January 1, 2026.
• Allows only applications that were already received in 2025 to be accepted into processing during the 2026 calendar year.
• Caps the number of sponsorship applications from 2025 that can be processed in 2026 at 10,000. That cap could be changed later by further instructions.
• Requires that accepted sponsorships come from people who previously filed an interest to sponsor in the window October 13, 2020 to November 3, 2020, and that invitations issued in 2025 are the basis for the applications. Invitations were selected randomly from non-duplicate interests.
• Says applications must be submitted online (with alternate formats available for people who could not apply online because of a mental or physical disability). Applications received after the Instructions come into force that were not submitted online will generally be returned.
• Sets documentary and identity-matching rules: sponsorship and visa applications must match the information on the interest to sponsor, or explain and provide evidence for any changes.
• Gives sponsors at least 60 calendar days from the date of invitation to submit their application. If fees and the application arrive on time but supporting documents are missing, the sponsor or applicant has an extra 30 calendar days to send the missing documents after the department requests them.
• States processing order will follow the date the applications were received.
• Says humanitarian and compassionate requests made from outside Canada that accompany an application not accepted under these Instructions will not be processed.
• Any application that does not meet the stated conditions will be returned. The Instructions take effect January 1, 2026.

Who's affected#

• People in Canada who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents (potential sponsors) who did not already file an interest to sponsor in the October 13, 2020 to November 3, 2020 window.
• Parents and grandparents who would be sponsored but who did not have an application received in 2025.
• People who did file an interest in 2020 and who received an invitation in 2025 — they may still have their 2025 application processed in 2026, subject to the 10,000 cap and other conditions.
• Immigration representatives and community groups who help sponsors and applicants.
• The Instructions do not clearly say whether other family-class streams or exceptional cases beyond the stated humanitarian rule are affected.

Why it matters#

• If you did not file an interest in 2020 or did not have an application received in 2025, you will not be able to have a parent or grandparent sponsorship or PR visa application accepted for processing in 2026.
• Even some people who applied in 2025 may not be processed in 2026 if the total accepted applications reach the 10,000 limit.
• The online-only rule could be a barrier for applicants without reliable internet access, though alternate formats are available for some people with disabilities.
• Deadlines attached to invitations (minimum 60 calendar days, plus a 30 calendar day extension for missing documents) matter for keeping an application active. Missing those windows can lead to returned applications.
• Humanitarian requests from abroad that are attached to applications not accepted here will not be considered under these Instructions, which could affect urgent family or protection claims tied to these applications.