Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has paused the intake of new applications for the parent and grandparent sponsorship program [1].
This suspension impacts thousands of families seeking permanent residency for older relatives. The move reflects a broader effort by the federal government to address systemic delays and rethink how family reunification is managed within the current immigration framework [2].
According to the department, the government will not accept any new applications for the remainder of the year [1]. Despite the freeze on new entries, officials said the agency will continue processing applications that are already in the system [1].
This decision follows mounting pressure to manage significant processing backlogs [2]. The government is responding to calls to rethink the family reunification program to ensure the system remains sustainable [2].
As part of the current processing strategy, the department plans to approve up to 15 applications that are already in the system [4]. This targeted approach aims to clear specific pending files while preventing the queue from growing further during the pause.
Families who have already submitted their paperwork are not affected by the intake freeze. However, those who intended to apply before the end of the year must now wait for the program to reopen [1].
“The government will not accept any new applications for the remainder of the year.”
The pause indicates a shift toward tighter control over immigration volumes to prioritize the processing of existing backlogs over new growth. By halting the intake for the rest of the year, the IRCC is attempting to stabilize the family reunification stream, suggesting that previous quotas or processing speeds were unable to keep pace with demand.
