Canada Announces 2025 PGP Pause: How This Affects Your Family Sponsorship Plans

The Canadian federal government has announced that no new applications for sponsoring parents and grandparents for permanent residence under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will be accepted in 2025.

Instead, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will focus exclusively on processing applications submitted in 2024. The department aims to process up to 15,000 sponsorship applications throughout 2025.

Super Visa Option Still Available

Canadian citizens and permanent residents can still bring their parents and grandparents to Canada through the super visa program. This visa allows eligible relatives to visit Canada for up to five years per trip, providing an alternative for those unable to access the PGP.

About the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)

The PGP enables Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and registered Indians to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency.

Due to the high demand, the program uses a lottery system to issue invitations to apply. From 2020 to 2024, IRCC invited sponsors who had submitted an interest-to-sponsor form during the 2020 intake period.

Reason for the Pause

The decision to suspend new PGP applications for 2025 aligns with adjustments in Canada’s immigration targets. IRCC reduced the permanent resident target for 2025 by 20%, which includes a smaller allocation for the PGP.

• 2025 Target: 24,500 landings under the PGP
• Previous Targets: 32,000 for 2024 and 34,000 for 2025 (as per the 2023 Immigration Levels Plan)

About the Immigration Levels Plan

Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan outlines annual targets for permanent resident landings, with provisional goals set for the following two years. The 2025 Plan also introduces targets for net new temporary residents for the first time.

This pause in new PGP applications reflects the government’s effort to balance immigration priorities while addressing processing backlogs.