Can’t I sponsor my Parents (or Grandparents) to come to Canada permanently? Is this still possible?
For many Canadian citizens and permanent residents, sponsoring parents or grandparents to come to Canada permanently was once seen as the final step in their immigration journey. Officially, the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) still exists, and each year Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to announce new invitation rounds in their “lottery” system.
In reality, however, the program has become inaccessible to new applicants. Since 2020, IRCC has continued selecting sponsors exclusively from the same “interest to sponsor” pool submitted six years ago. If an interested potential sponsor did not enter that pool back then, they’re sadly out of luck – there is currently no way to apply.
As a result, many families and immigration practitioners now describe the program as “effectively closed,” even though the government does not officially use such language. Technically, invitations are still being issued, but only to people already waiting in thesystem since 2020. For new applicants in 2026, there is effectively no open intake.
How did we get here?
Part of the challenge stems from the extraordinary demand for this program, with interest in parent and grandparent sponsorship exceeding available spots for years. At the same time, Canada has faced mounting concerns related to housing availability, pressures on the healthcare, growing processing backlogs, and broader reductions to immigration targets. These pressures appear to have contributed to a cautious and increasingly restrictive approach to parent sponsorship admissions.
A solution?
For most families today, the practical alternative is the Super Visa program. The Super Visa allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for extended periods as visitors – up to five years at a time with renewals possible. While it does not
provide permanent resident status, it has quietly become the main way many families remain together in the long term. At Ferreira-Wells Immigration Services we have years of extensive experience representing our clients in their Super Visa applications, and would love to discuss how we can help you.
So, is Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program closed?
Officially, no. But for many hopeful sponsors today, it is difficult to view it any other way.
