The Canadian federal government has announced an important update to the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) for 2025. Until further notice, no new applications will be accepted for sponsorships of permanent residency under this program. Many families may have to wait for updates as a result of this decision, which was detailed in a ministerial directive and refocuses attention on processing applications that are already in place.

Focus on Clearing Backlogs

The directive published in the Canada Gazette emphasizes family reunification. However, the government will consider only sponsorship applications filed in 2024. According to Immigration Minister Marc Miller, this strategy is in line with Canada's immigration objectives.

In recent years, the PGP backlog has increased dramatically. Over 40,000 applications were still pending as of the end of 2023. These sponsorships currently take an average of 24 months to process. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) intends to minimize these delays and expedite operations by halting new filings.

35,700 chosen applicants were invited to apply for the 2024 intake. The government established a target of 20,500 applications from this group. The goal is to process no more than 15,000 applications by 2025.

Changes in Immigration Levels

This delay is a component of Canada's updated Immigration Levels Plan, which lowers the country's three-year target for total permanent residents. The government plans to use the PGP to accept 24,500 persons by 2025. This represents a significant drop from the initial goal of 34,000 set forth in previous plans.

Other immigration streams are also impacted by the judgment. To concentrate on current applications, new sponsorships in these programs have been temporarily suspended.

Options for Families

Families still have choices even while new applications are on pause. Parents and grandparents can travel to Canada for extended periods with a super visa. This visa is still a good option for families looking to reunite because it allows stays of up to five years per visit.

There are still issues with the PGP's lottery-based mechanism. There are far more applications than there are slots available. Only individuals who filled out interest-to-sponsor forms during the 2020 intake received invites for the 2020–2024 period. This strategy has added to the increase in backlog.

The government's attempt to strike a balance between family reunification and its more general immigration goals is reflected in the IRCC's decision to give priority to applications that are already submitted. Families must deal with these changes while looking toward short-term alternatives like the super visa.

FAQS

Do families that are unable to apply under PGP have any other options?

In order to allow parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for a maximum of five years at a time, families can apply for a super visa. Families looking to reunite while awaiting prospects for permanent immigration may find this visa to be a temporary solution.

What impact does the pause have on other sources of immigration?

In order for the IRCC to concentrate on reducing backlogs, other immigration streams have also suspended new sponsorships. This is a component of the government's larger strategy to lower total immigration during the following three years.