Canada Ends New PR Applications for Parents and Grandparents
Canada Halts PR Applications? | The Canadian government has announced a significant pause in accepting new permanent residency (PR) applications for parents and grandparents under the Family Class stream. This development, which was first reported by the Canadian Press, was outlined in a notification published in the Canada Gazette on Friday. The measure, set to take effect from January 1, 2025, will remain in place until further instructions are issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller.
According to the Gazette notification, the amendment aims to ensure that no fresh permanent resident visa applications for parents or grandparents, nor sponsorship applications related to them, are processed starting in 2025. The notification specifies that applications submitted in 2024 will still be processed in the following year, but no new submissions will be entertained unless additional instructions are provided by the government.
Canada Pauses New PR Applications
As of now, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can still sponsor their parents and grandparents for PR under the Family Class stream. However, this option is being curtailed for the time being, though the supervisa program remains available. The supervisa, a long-term, multiple-entry visa, continues to offer an alternative pathway for parents and grandparents to visit their families in Canada.
The Canada Gazette further highlighted that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration will prioritize processing the 2024 applications in the upcoming year. A cap of 15,000 sponsorship applications has also been established for the 2024 intake, marking a restriction in the volume of such applications handled annually.
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This move comes against the backdrop of an increasing backlog of parent and grandparent sponsorship applications. According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ‘s 2023 annual report to Parliament, over 40,000 sponsorship applications for this category were pending at the end of 2023. That year, 28,313 individuals were admitted under the parent and grandparent category, representing a four percent increase from the prior year. The figures for 2024 are yet to be disclosed.
In parallel, the supervisa program has gained traction, with 73,113 applications approved in 2023. This marked an improvement in processing efficiency, with the average wait time reduced to 24 months compared to 36 months in 2022.
While the recent decision temporarily halts one pathway for family reunification in Canada, it underscores the government’s effort to manage application backlogs and streamline immigration processes. For now, parents and grandparents seeking to join their families in Canada will need to rely on existing supervision options until IRCC provides further updates.
