Canada pauses applications for parent, grandparent sponsorship

A Canadian flag flies over the Prime Minister's Office near Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — 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 says the change is part of an effort to responsibly manage the system.

There are 60,500 applications in progress already and the government expects to approve 15,000 parents and grandparents in each of the next two years from those existing files.

It will not accept new applications for this year in an effort to reduce wait times, which average about three years.

The 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.

The pause on accepting new applications is in effect until further notice.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2026

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press