On July 22, 2026, several immigration law portals confirmed that IRCC has frozen new ‘Interest to Sponsor’ submissions under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) until further notice. While the formal pause was first announced on July 15, the department clarified key operational details this week, advising sponsors that no new invitations will be sent in 2026 and recommending temporary resident visas or the super visa as interim options. The move aims to reduce a ballooning inventory of more than 90,000 PGP applications—equivalent to an estimated five-year processing queue. IRCC data show that nearly 70 per cent of the backlog is concentrated in five visa offices (Manila, New Delhi, Islamabad, Accra and Nairobi), straining resources and prolonging family separation. For employers, the pause may indirectly affect talent retention. Many skilled workers consider the ability to reunite with parents a decisive factor when choosing between Canada and peer destinations such as Australia. Companies are therefore advised to expand family-support benefits—covering super-visa insurance and return travel—to mitigate the policy’s impact on assignees. Immigration lawyers expect litigation but concede that the department’s statutory authority to control intake is broad. They note that the pause coincides with a July 15 regulatory package tightening financial undertakings for sponsors and raising the low-income cut-off (LICO) by 12%. IRCC says it will consult stakeholders this fall on a lottery-free model that prioritises “length of separation and humanitarian factors.” Until then, families must rely on visitor pathways and extensions, which do not provide access to public health care or settlement services, potentially increasing costs for private sponsors.
Source: Immigration.ca
