When Will Applications For Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program Reopen?

The short answer is: we don’t know. IRCC has not published any guidance about when the PGP intake will reopen. But we may be able to estimate the timeline by looking at the previous years’ results.

When Was The Last IRCC Intake For The PGP? 

The last application intake period for the Parents and Grandparents Program ran from October 13 to November 3, 2020. 

During this period, IRCC received 203,213 unique applications. 

Here’s what IRCC said about the demand for the PGP: 

“Demand for the program continues to grow and outpace the growth in the number of available admission space in the Levels Plan, which makes the randomized selection process an appropriate intake model for this program as it provides equal opportunity for all interested sponsors to be selected and invited to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents.”

How Many Expressions of Interest From 2020 Has IRCC Processed? 

Here’s what processing looks like so far: 

2020: 203,213 forms submitted and 13,400 were invited to apply, so there were 189,813 applications remaining in the pool at this point.  

2021: 189,813 forms in the pool and 34,500 invitations to apply, so there were 155,313 applications remaining in the pool at this point. 

2022: 155,313 forms in the pool and 23,100 were invited to apply, so there were 132,213 applications remaining in the pool after the 2022 round of invitations. 

2023: 132,213 forms in the pool initially before 24,200 invitations were sent out. This leaves approximately 108,013 applications in the pool at the date of publication. 

So, there are 108,013 candidates in the pool prior to the May 21, 2024 intake. From May 21, 2024, IRCC will send out 35,700 invitations to apply, which will leave 72,313 applications in the pool from 2020 after this year’s round of invitations. 

So, When Will PGP Applications Re-Open?

Given the number of applications remaining in the pool and the existing levels planning for Parents and Grandparents sponsorship, we estimate that applications will re-open in or before 2026. The reason for this is that IRCC appears to want to complete processing of applications received in 2020 before considering later applications, so we will need to see a further 72,313 invitations sent before new applications will be considered. 

Ultimately, it seems likely that IRCC will have very few applications remaining in the pool in 2026, and will need further applications to consider for its intake round in 2027. 

Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2024 to 2026 highlights the following targets for the Parents and Grandparents Program: 

2024 Target: 32,000

2025 Target: 34,000

2026 Target: 34,000

With this in mind, we would expect to see at least 35,700 invitations being sent out in 2025 and 2026. This would almost completely diminish the current backlog of applications for the PGP by the end of 2026.  

Given that IRCC needs to delete duplicate applications and complete other administrative tasks for any new application intake round, we wouldn’t be surprised to see applications for PGP reopening as early as 2025. 

All of that said, IRCC could choose to re-open the pool for submissions of interest to sponsor at any point. If you’re interested in applying to sponsor your parents or grandparents to come to Canada, you need to keep a careful eye out for news about the pool being reopened. 

How Long Until My Parents or Grandparents Can Come To Canada? 

If you have already submitted your application for Canada’s PGP, it’s likely that you will receive an invitation by the 2026 intake. 

It is likely that those hoping to apply to bring their parents or grandparents to Canada permanently and who have not yet submitted an application to the pool are in for a (potentially very) long wait. There is high demand for this program and we haven’t seen any applications being accepted since 2020. It’s highly likely that any future application intakes will attract extremely high volumes of applicants which will mean a potential multiple-year wait, again, for applicants. 

So, what can you do? 

If you want to bring your parents or grandparents to Canada sooner, consider the Super Visa. 

Canada’s Super Visa allows parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to visit Canada for lengthy periods.

This is not the same thing as the PGP. The Super Visa does not grant permanent residence status, your parents and grandparents would be on visitor status during their stay (so they will require Super Visa health insurance). However, it does allow your parents or grandparents to stay in Canada legally for up to seven years at a time.