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 about parent and grandparent sponsorship. They stop new sponsorship and permanent resident visa applications from being accepted as of January 1, 2026, while allowing certain applications submitted in 2025 to be processed (up to 10 000 sponsorship applications accepted for processing in 2026).

What it does#

• Stops acceptance of any new permanent resident visa applications by a sponsor’s parents or grandparents and related sponsorship applications starting January 1, 2026, until further instructions.
• Allows only applications that were actually received by the department in 2025 to be processed in the 2026 calendar year.
• Limits processing in 2026 to a maximum of 10 000 sponsorship applications that were received in 2025.
• Requires applications submitted in 2025 to meet specific conditions to be accepted, including:
  • The sponsor must have been invited to apply (invitations were drawn in 2025 from interests filed between noon, October 13, 2020 and noon, November 3, 2020).
  • Applications must have been submitted online unless an alternate format was needed for disability or otherwise specified.
  • The sponsorship and visa applications must include the documents and forms listed in the department’s application package.
  • Applications must be received no later than the sponsor’s invitation deadline, which is at least 60 calendar days from the date the invitation was sent. Missing documents can be requested and must be supplied within an extra 30 calendar days.
• Sets processing order by date of receipt.
• Says applications that don’t meet these conditions will be returned.
• Says humanitarian-and‑compassionate requests from outside Canada that accompany applications not accepted for processing will not be processed under these Instructions.
• These Instructions take effect January 1, 2026.

Who's affected#

• People who want to sponsor a parent or grandparent.
• Parents and grandparents who applied for a permanent resident visa as family-class applicants.
• Immigration representatives who filed or planned to file these kinds of applications.
• The Department of Citizenship and Immigration and anyone tracking family-class intake and processing priorities.

If you did not already submit a sponsorship or permanent resident visa application in 2025, it appears your application will not be accepted for processing in 2026 under these Instructions.

Why it matters#

• Families planning to reunite through parent and grandparent sponsorship face a pause on new applications. That could delay reunification plans and travel or caregiving arrangements.
• Only a limited number (10 000) of previously filed sponsorship applications will move forward in 2026, so many applicants and sponsors may still wait longer.
• Sponsors and applicants who did file in 2025 must check that their applications match the original interest-to-sponsor details, were filed online (or via an authorized alternate), and meet the document deadlines or their files may be returned.
• The Instructions create certainty on intake limits for 2026, but also leave open future changes — the minister may issue further instructions that change the rules.