Canadian citizens can opt for super visa for parents, grandparents, as PGP applications halted

Canadian citizens and permanent residents hoping to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada for extended stays still have the option to sponsor their relatives through the super visa programme.

The super visa allows eligible family members to visit Canada for up to five years per entry, offering a more flexible alternative to permanent sponsorship under the PGP.

This comes as an option as the Canadian government recently declared that it will cease accepting new applications for the Parents and Grandparents sponsorship programme (PGP) in 2025, to manage existing backlogs and enhance the processing times for previously submitted applications.

The Immigration Levels Plan for 2023 initially projected higher targets, with 32,000 new arrivals planned for 2024 and 34,000 for 2025. However, this year’s updated plan outlines more modest goals. Annually, IRCC’s immigration levels plan sets firm targets for the upcoming year and preliminary figures for the subsequent two years.

IRCC limits PGP sponsorship applications amid target reductions for 2025

Limiting PGP visas is part of broader efforts to reduce permanent resident intake targets by 20 percent for 2025, which includes a significant cut in the number of PGP admissions.

According to the IRCC, it plans to process no more than 15,000 sponsorship applications under the PGP throughout 2025. This decision reflects the government’s strategy to manage immigration levels while balancing available resources and system capacity.

About Parents and Grandparents sponsorship programme (PGP)

The PGP visa scheme permits Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for Canadian permanent residency.

However, the announcement notes that only family sponsorship applications made under the Parents and Grandparents Program that were submitted in 2024 will be processed.

Due to high demand and limited availability, the PGP operates on a lottery-based system, where invitations to apply are randomly issued to those who have submitted an interest to sponsor form.

Between 2020 and 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued invitations based on applications submitted during the 2020 intake period.

For 2025, IRCC aims to welcome only 24,500 new permanent residents under the PGP visa pathway, in a bid to reduce new migration.