Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that no new invitations to apply will be issued under the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) for the entirety of 2026. Officers will instead focus on clearing 10 000 backlogged files lodged before 31 December 2024.
The decision prolongs a pause introduced last year and leaves thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents—many of them Hong Kong immigrants—without a permanent-residence pathway for older relatives. Immigration lawyers in Vancouver and Toronto report a surge in enquiries from Hong Kong clients about the long-stay multiple-entry “super visa,” which now allows parents and grandparents to remain in Canada for up to five years per entry.
![Canada Freezes Parent-and-Grandparent Sponsorship Intake—Hong Kong Families Turn to ‘Super Visa’]()
While the super visa offers flexibility, it carries significant costs: applicants must hold private medical insurance and do not qualify for provincial health coverage or open work rights. Employers recruiting talent from Hong Kong may need to sweeten relocation offers by subsidising insurance premiums or funding annual home-leave trips.
From a mobility-policy standpoint, companies should update family-support sections to reflect the freeze, provide legal-advice allowances and clarify that super-visa holders cannot switch to permanent residence from within Canada. Failure to manage expectations may undermine retention of key Hong Kong staff.
IRCC says it will review the PGP once backlog-reduction targets are met, but analysts do not expect new draws before 2027. Hong Kong families considering sponsorship should therefore plan on an extended reliance on temporary visas.
The decision prolongs a pause introduced last year and leaves thousands of Canadian citizens and permanent residents—many of them Hong Kong immigrants—without a permanent-residence pathway for older relatives. Immigration lawyers in Vancouver and Toronto report a surge in enquiries from Hong Kong clients about the long-stay multiple-entry “super visa,” which now allows parents and grandparents to remain in Canada for up to five years per entry.
While the super visa offers flexibility, it carries significant costs: applicants must hold private medical insurance and do not qualify for provincial health coverage or open work rights. Employers recruiting talent from Hong Kong may need to sweeten relocation offers by subsidising insurance premiums or funding annual home-leave trips.
From a mobility-policy standpoint, companies should update family-support sections to reflect the freeze, provide legal-advice allowances and clarify that super-visa holders cannot switch to permanent residence from within Canada. Failure to manage expectations may undermine retention of key Hong Kong staff.
IRCC says it will review the PGP once backlog-reduction targets are met, but analysts do not expect new draws before 2027. Hong Kong families considering sponsorship should therefore plan on an extended reliance on temporary visas.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
