Parents and Grandparents Program: IRCC Confirms Pause on New Applications
News date: July 15, 2026. Prepared September 6, 2026; official instructions checked on that date.
Families hoping to sponsor a parent or grandparent need to distinguish the program’s existing inventory from a new intake. IRCC’s July 15 notice confirms that new Parents and Grandparents Program applications are paused.
No new interest forms or invitations for now
IRCC says it will not accept new interest-to-sponsor forms or issue new invitations until further notice. Applications already submitted continue to be processed. The 2026 plan to admit up to 15,000 parents and grandparents refers to people becoming permanent residents, not 15,000 new invitations or application spaces.
That distinction matters when reading headlines. An admissions target does not give a family permission to submit an application outside the intake process.
Decide whether the immediate goal is a visit or permanent residence
For a family trying to spend time together soon, the practical question may be temporary travel. IRCC identifies the super visa as an option for eligible parents and grandparents. It can allow visits of up to five years at a time, but it is not permanent residence and has its own requirements.
Before choosing a route, discuss the intended duration of the stay, the family’s financial circumstances and the visitor’s plans. Do not assume that preparing sponsorship documents now creates a place in a future intake.
Keep existing files separate from future plans
If an application is already pending, preserve its submission confirmation and continue monitoring correspondence. If no application has been submitted, avoid relying on predicted reopening dates. The notice does not provide a new intake date.
Our family sponsorship services can help distinguish an existing sponsorship matter from planning for a future intake or a temporary visit.
Official source: IRCC’s July 15 Parents and Grandparents Program notice.
General information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on the facts and may change.
About the author
Miguel Martins Pereirinha is a Canadian immigration lawyer and partner at Slayen Immigration Law in Vancouver, British Columbia. He practises Canadian immigration law exclusively — work permits, permanent residence, family sponsorship, citizenship and inadmissibility — and works with clients in English and Portuguese.
