For many people in our Express Entry tracker, becoming a permanent resident is only half the plan. The other half is bringing their parents.
That half just got harder. On July 15, 2026, IRCC paused the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). No new interest-to-sponsor forms, no invitations, and no reopening date. Applications already in the queue keep moving, but slowly: IRCC's own estimate is about 28 months outside Quebec and 63 months in Quebec.
This guide covers what the pause means, who is still in line, what sponsorship would ask of you when it returns, and the route that is open today: the super visa, which lets a parent or grandparent stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time.
The short version
- The PGP is closed to new sponsors. IRCC paused it on July 15, 2026 "until further notice". No new interest forms are accepted and no new invitations are being sent.
- The last intake was in 2025. IRCC sent 17,860 invitations from the 2020 pool of interest forms, aiming for 10,000 complete applications. The deadline was October 9, 2025.
- Existing applications are still processed. About 45,900 people are waiting, and IRCC plans to admit up to 15,000 through the program in 2026.
- The income test is strict. Sponsors must meet a minimum income in each of the 3 tax years before applying, proven by CRA notices of assessment, and sign a 20-year undertaking (10 years in Quebec).
- The super visa is open now. Parents and grandparents can stay up to 5 years per entry. The host needs a lower income, met in either of the last 2 tax years, and the visitor's own income can now help.
- A new PR can host a super visa right away. There is no waiting period, which makes it the realistic first step for most readers of this site.
What happened to the Parents and Grandparents Program
The PGP has been a lottery since 2020. Would-be sponsors submitted an interest-to-sponsor form once, in 2020, and every year since IRCC has drawn invitations at random from that same pool. Nobody has been able to join the pool since.
The 2025 round was the last. According to IRCC's application page, invitations started on July 28, 2025, and 17,860 went out over about two weeks. The aim was 10,000 complete applications, and the last day to apply was October 9, 2025.
Then came two closures:
| Date | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | No new parent or grandparent PR applications accepted, apart from up to 10,000 from the 2025 intake | Ministerial Instructions 89 |
| July 15, 2026 | Program paused. No new interest forms and no invitations "until further notice" | IRCC notice |
IRCC's stated reason is the same one behind the spousal slowdown: "Interest in the PGP Program continues to exceed the spaces available under the levels plan." The 2026 to 2028 levels plan allows up to 15,000 parent and grandparent admissions in 2026, and the program already has a queue several times that size.
If you were not invited in 2025, there is currently no way to apply. Anyone promising a place in a 2026 or 2027 PGP intake is selling something IRCC has not announced.
How long the queue takes
For families whose applications are already in, here is IRCC's picture, from its processing times data updated October 9, 2026:
| Processing estimate | People waiting | |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Quebec | About 28 months | About 35,600 |
| Quebec | About 63 months | About 10,300 |
Together that is about 45,900 people, against a 2026 target of up to 15,000. That is our arithmetic rather than an IRCC forecast, but it means the queue holds roughly three years of admissions at the current target, which is why IRCC stopped adding to it.
Quebec is slower because Quebec sets its own family immigration ceiling, and the gap between the two estimates is now almost three years.
What sponsoring a parent requires
The PGP will reopen at some point, and when it does the rules below are what you will be measured against. Some of them, like the income test, look back three years, so it pays to know them now.
Who can sponsor
From IRCC's eligibility page, you must be:
- invited to apply
- at least 18
- a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or registered under the Indian Act
- living in Canada, with your main home in Canada from the day you apply until a decision
You can sponsor your biological or adopted parents and grandparents, along with their spouse or partner and any dependent children. The same exclusions as spousal sponsorship apply: no sponsoring while in prison, while receiving social assistance for a reason other than disability, with an undischarged bankruptcy, or while behind on a past undertaking or court-ordered support.
The income test
This is the part that stops most sponsors. You must meet the minimum income for each of the 3 tax years before you apply, and the proof is your CRA notice of assessment for each year. A spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to combine incomes.
These are the figures IRCC used for the 2025 intake:
| Family size | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 people | $47,549 | $44,530 | $43,082 |
| 3 people | $58,456 | $54,743 | $52,965 |
| 4 people | $70,972 | $66,466 | $64,306 |
| 5 people | $80,496 | $75,384 | $72,935 |
| 6 people | $90,784 | $85,020 | $82,259 |
| 7 people | $101,075 | $94,658 | $91,582 |
| Each extra person | $10,291 | $9,636 | $9,324 |
The thresholds rise every year, so a future intake will use higher figures.
Family size is bigger than people expect. It counts you, your spouse or partner, your dependent children, and everyone you are sponsoring: both parents, plus any of their dependent children, even ones who are not coming to Canada. A couple with one child sponsoring both parents is a family of five, which needed $80,496 for 2024.
Quebec sets its own income test, and the sponsor signs a separate undertaking with Quebec once IRCC asks.
What the undertaking means
Sponsoring a parent means signing an undertaking for 20 years, or 10 years in Quebec, from the day they become PRs. For that whole period you are responsible for their basic needs, and you must repay any social assistance they receive. You cannot sponsor anyone else until it is repaid.
It cannot be cancelled. It continues if your parents become citizens and if your relationship with them changes.
What it costs
From IRCC's fee list, as of November 2026:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sponsoring a parent or grandparent | $1,260 |
| Including their spouse or partner | $1,260 |
| Each dependent child | $180 |
| Biometrics, one person | $85 |
| Biometrics, a family applying together | $170 |
The $1,260 includes the $600 right of permanent residence fee, which can be paid later. Medical exams, police certificates and translations are extra.
The super visa: the route that is open today
While the PGP is closed, the super visa is how most families get parents to Canada for long periods. It is a visitor visa, not permanent residence, but it is far more generous than an ordinary one.
| Super visa | PGP sponsorship | |
|---|---|---|
| Open now? | Yes | No, paused since July 15, 2026 |
| Status your parent gets | Visitor | Permanent resident |
| Length of stay | Up to 5 years per entry, multiple entries for up to 10 years | Permanent |
| Host income test | Minimum income in either of the last 2 tax years, and the visitor's income can count | Higher minimum, in each of the last 3 tax years |
| Undertaking | None | 20 years (10 in Quebec) |
| Health care | Private insurance, at least $100,000 | Provincial health coverage once a PR |
| Can work in Canada? | No | Yes |
| Typical cost | $100 visa fee, $85 biometrics, plus insurance | $1,260 per person, plus $85 biometrics |
Host requirements
The host is the child or grandchild in Canada. According to IRCC's eligibility page, they must be at least 18, live in Canada, be a citizen, PR or registered Indian, write and sign a letter of invitation, and meet a minimum income.
There is no waiting period after becoming a PR. Someone who received their eCoPR last month can host a super visa this month, if their income qualifies. Compare that with PGP sponsorship, which needs three years of Canadian tax assessments before you can apply at all.
The income requirement, and what changed in 2026
The super visa uses a lower threshold than the PGP. These are IRCC's figures, updated July 29, 2025:
| Family size | Minimum host income |
|---|---|
| 1 | $30,526 |
| 2 | $38,002 |
| 3 | $46,720 |
| 4 | $56,724 |
| 5 | $64,336 |
| 6 | $72,560 |
| 7 | $80,784 |
| Each extra person | $8,224 |
Family size counts the host, their spouse or partner, their dependent children, the visiting parents or grandparents, and anyone else the host is still responsible for under an earlier sponsorship or super visa invitation.
Since March 31, 2026, hosts have two ways to qualify:
- Meet the full minimum in either of the 2 tax years before applying. Before the change, only the most recent year counted, so one bad year could sink an application.
- Meet at least 75% of the minimum in the year before applying, and let the visiting parent's income cover the rest. The parent needs proof of their own income and proof that it will continue while they are in Canada, such as a pension.
The second option matters most to newer residents. A host with a modest first Canadian salary and a parent with a steady pension can now qualify together where neither could alone.
Health insurance
This is the largest ongoing cost of a super visa, and the requirements are specific. From IRCC's document list, the policy must:
- provide at least $100,000 of emergency coverage, including health care, hospitalization and repatriation
- be valid for at least 1 year from each entry, and be renewed if it would expire during the stay
- come from a Canadian insurer, or a foreign insurer authorized by OSFI and listed as a federally regulated institution. Brokers and claims administrators do not count
- be paid, either in full or in instalments with a deposit. A quote is not accepted
Premiums depend heavily on age and health, so get quotes before you apply rather than after.
How long a super visa takes
Unlike the PGP queue, super visa processing is measured in weeks. IRCC publishes it by country, and as of November 4, 2026 it was, for example, about 85 days from India, 89 days from China, 101 days from Pakistan and 109 days from the Philippines. Check the processing times tool for your parent's country, because it varies a lot.
A plan for new PRs
If you are reading this from our tracker, you are probably early in your own PR journey. Applicants in the tracker reach eCoPR a median of 119 days after AOR, across 248 completed timelines. Here is how the parent question fits around that.
- Become a PR first. Neither route is open to you until you have status. Our guide to what to do after eCoPR covers the first weeks.
- Host a super visa as soon as your income qualifies. It is the only route open today, and it does not need years of Canadian tax history.
- File Canadian taxes every year, on time. The PGP income test is built entirely on CRA notices of assessment. IRCC's page asks for three years of them, but does not say the income must have been earned as a PR, so years on a work permit may count. A missing return is a missing year.
- Stay resident in Canada. Both routes need the sponsor or host to live here. That also protects your own status under the 730-day residency obligation.
- Watch for a PGP reopening. IRCC has said it will share details of any future intake when they are available. If the next one uses a fresh interest form rather than the 2020 pool, being ready with three years of qualifying income is what will matter.
Becoming a citizen does not change your eligibility to sponsor, since citizens and PRs face the same rules. But if you are planning the long arc, the Citizenship Calculator shows when you can apply, and time spent waiting on a work permit can count toward it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Parents and Grandparents Program open in 2026?
No. IRCC paused the program on July 15, 2026. It is not accepting interest-to-sponsor forms or inviting sponsors to apply, and it has not given a reopening date. Applications submitted in earlier intakes are still being processed.
When will the PGP reopen?
IRCC has not said. Its notice says the pause lasts "until further notice", and the Ministerial Instructions say details of the next intake will be shared when available. With about 45,900 people already waiting and a 2026 target of up to 15,000 admissions, a quick reopening looks unlikely.
How long does parent and grandparent sponsorship take?
IRCC's processing data, updated October 9, 2026, estimates about 28 months outside Quebec and about 63 months for Quebec. Those figures apply to applications already in the queue, since no new ones are being accepted.
How much income do I need to sponsor my parents?
For the 2025 intake, a family of two needed $47,549 for 2024, $44,530 for 2023 and $43,082 for 2022, and the amount rises with family size. You must meet it in each of the 3 tax years before you apply. Family size includes the parents you are sponsoring, so most sponsors are a family of four or more.
Can a new permanent resident sponsor their parents?
Not through the PGP right now, because it is paused. Even when open, it needs three years of CRA notices of assessment at the required income. A new PR can host a super visa immediately, though, with no waiting period, as long as they meet the super visa income threshold.
What is the income requirement for a super visa?
It ranges from $30,526 for a family of one to $80,784 for a family of seven, plus $8,224 for each extra person. Since March 31, 2026, the host can meet it in either of the two tax years before applying, or meet 75% of it and add the visiting parent's own income.
How long can parents stay on a super visa?
Up to 5 years per entry, with multiple entries over a visa that can last up to 10 years. They can apply to extend their stay from inside Canada. They need health insurance that is valid for at least a year from each entry.
Can my parents work in Canada on a super visa?
No. The super visa is a visitor visa, so it does not allow work. It also does not give provincial health coverage, which is why the private insurance requirement exists.
PGP status from IRCC's July 15, 2026 notice and Ministerial Instructions 89. Processing times and queue sizes from IRCC's processing times data (October 9, 2026), super visa times from the same tool (November 4, 2026). Income tables, undertaking terms and fees from IRCC's pages, checked November 5, 2026. Tracker figures update hourly. Rules change, and this program especially; confirm on canada.ca before you plan around it, and speak to a licensed representative if your case is complicated.