Canada has announced a temporary halt on accepting new applications for parent and grandparent permanent residency sponsorships. The directive, issued by Immigration Minister Marc Miller, was published in the Canada Gazette and emphasizes the government’s commitment to clearing existing application backlogs before opening the program to new applicants.
The move aligns with the government’s goals for family reunification while addressing operational challenges in processing immigration applications. “This pause will best support our objectives for a streamlined and disciplined immigration system,” Miller stated.
The decision also affects other immigration streams, as the government focuses on reducing a growing inventory of unprocessed applications. According to Miller’s immigration levels plan, Canada aims to admit more than 24,000 individuals under the parent and grandparent sponsorship stream in 2025, with the current backlog surpassing 40,000 applications as of late 2023.
In 2024, 35,700 applicants were randomly invited to submit sponsorship requests, targeting 20,500 processed applications. However, a cap of 15,000 applications has been set for this year to accelerate the resolution of outstanding cases.
The average processing time for a sponsorship application remains at approximately 24 months. The government’s new immigration levels plan indicates an overall decrease in immigration over the next three years, reflecting a strategic shift in priorities.
This temporary measure highlights the government’s focus on balancing family reunification with operational efficiency, ensuring applicants already in the system receive timely decisions.