Quebec re-opens family sponsorship intake today with 15,700-application cap until 2028

As of 00:01 EDT on 2 July 2026, Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) began accepting new undertakings to sponsor family members. The two-year reception period, which runs until 30 June 2028, is capped at 15,700 applications: 13,300 for spouses, common-law or conjugal partners and 2,400 for parents and grandparents. For the first time, dependent children aged 18 or over are excluded from the cap, effectively prioritising nuclear-family reunification. The reopening follows a 12-month freeze after the previous quota was met in July 2025. Sponsors must submit a Québec undertaking first, then a federal permanent-residence application—a dual process unique to Quebec under the Canada–Quebec Accord.



For applicants who find Quebec’s two-track system daunting, VisaHQ’s immigration specialists can simplify every stage—from preparing the Québec undertaking to assembling the federal package—and keep you updated on shifting quotas. Explore our Canada services hub at https://www.visahq.com/canada/ to see how we streamline document gathering, translations and courier logistics for families and employers alike.

Applications must be complete and include IRCC’s federal letter of eligibility or acknowledgment of receipt dated within the periods set out in MIFI’s detailed reception calendar. Because the cap applies to undertakings, not individual family members, larger family groupings can quickly exhaust available places. Immigration lawyers therefore expect the 13,300 spousal spots to fill within months, if not weeks. MIFI will return any applications exceeding the cap and refund fees—a costly delay for families if packages are incomplete. The change dovetails with Ottawa’s nationwide effort to stabilise overall immigration levels while speeding up family reunification. Adult dependent children are no longer counted against the provincial cap, aligning Quebec with IRCC’s broader policy of facilitating family unity. However, financial-capacity requirements and the infamous “income test” for parents and grandparents remain unchanged and continue to be among the highest in the country. Corporations with assignees in Quebec should advise employees to verify their federal eligibility letters and to courier fully documented packages as early as possible in their assigned calendar window. Given Quebec’s slower processing times compared with the rest of Canada, missing the initial intake period could translate into multi-year delays for dependants hoping to relocate.