What happens to applications already in the system?
Short answer: They continue. IRCC says it will keep processing the roughly 60,500 applications in the queue and plans to admit up to 15,000 parents and grandparents in 2026.
Applications submitted after invitations in earlier rounds, including the 2025 round, remain in process. No files are being returned or cancelled. Current processing times are long: about 30 to 33 months outside Quebec, and more than five years for Quebec (roughly 65 to 66 months) because of the separate Quebec selection stage.
Why is Canada pausing parent and grandparent sponsorship?
Short answer: Demand massively exceeds a shrinking number of spaces. The admissions target has been cut by more than half in two years while tens of thousands of files sit in the queue.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|
| 2024 PGP admissions target | 32,000 |
| 2025 PGP admissions target | 24,500 |
| 2026 PGP admissions target |
With the 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan holding admissions at 15,000 per year, the existing queue alone represents about four years of admissions. That is the math behind the pause: inviting new sponsors would add files to a line that is already years long.
What is the Super Visa, and is it a real alternative?
Short answer: The Super Visa is a multi entry visitor visa for parents and grandparents that allows stays of up to five years per entry, with no annual cap. It does not lead to permanent residence, but it stays open and processes in months, not years.
IRCC itself points affected families to the Super Visa. Key features as of July 2026:
| Feature | Detail |
|---|
| Who qualifies | Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents |
| Stay per entry | Up to 5 years |
| Validity |
The trade offs are real. A Super Visa holder is a visitor, not a permanent resident, has no provincial health coverage, and depends on private insurance. But for families who were waiting on a lottery that may not return for years, a renewable five year stay is the path that actually works today. Our Super Visa insurance guide covers costs and providers.
