Canada has paused new parent and grandparent sponsorships with no reopening date. The super visa is the alternative, and a host inviting one parent now needs $38,002, only 75% of it from their own income.
IRCC now splits its pending inventory into files in processing and files waiting for space under the yearly levels targets. As of July 31, 2026, 41% of pending family applications and 42% of protection files are in the second group — roughly 248,000 permanent residence applications not being worked at all.
IRCC paused Parents and Grandparents Program intake on July 15, 2026, and the program page still says closed. About 60,500 parents and grandparents are already in the queue against an admissions target of 15,000 a year through 2028.