Canada has suspended accepting applications for the PGP visa in 2025 as it plans to focus on processing existing applications. Find out what this means for families who have been waiting for a PGP visa and what alternative pathways are currently available for elderly parents and grandparents to move.

On January 4, 2025, Canada announced the suspension of new applications for the PGP (Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program) in 2025. This decision was made in connection with the reduction of the country's migration goals for the coming years.

More on the current limits and alternative paths for family reunification later.

PGP Visa Plan for 2025

In 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will not accept new applications for the PGP.

During this year, the country's leadership plans to exclusively process documents that were submitted in 2024.

Historically, the program has had huge demand, and the number of applications has significantly exceeded the number of available places. The processing time for documents is on average 24 months outside of Quebec and 50 months in Quebec, making the reunification process long. That is why so many families in Canada are already waiting for their cases to be considered.

In general, Canada is talking about accepting only 15,000 people in 2025 on the basis of a PGP visa.

In addition, it is worth expecting that the PGP quota will also decrease in the future, the forecast is 24,500 permits, which is 20% less than in 2024.

Given that many families planned to bring their elderly grandparents on the basis of a PGP visa, it is now necessary to look for alternative ways.

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You will need health insurance to safely move and find employment in a new country. You can issue an extended policy on our website using the link.

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How can an expat transport elderly parents and grandparents to Canada? Alternative ways to the PGP program

The pause in processing PGP visa applications in Canada is forcing foreigners to look for alternative ways to reunite their families. The most common permits are:

1. Supervisa

The Supervisa allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to five years on a single entry, providing more flexibility than regular visitor visas.

However, to obtain the permit, applicants must meet certain financial requirements (must have a sponsor) and health insurance (requires private health insurance with coverage of at least CAD 100,000, which increases the cost). Therefore, it can be difficult for low-income families to obtain the permit.

2. Temporary Visitor Visas

Short-term stay of up to 6 months with the possibility of extension. The advantage is a simpler application process compared to permanent residence.

3. Economic and Work Pathways

Parents or grandparents with certain skills can apply for Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

Caregiver programs also offer PR pathways for those who provide care for children or people in need of support.

4. Humanitarian grounds

A residence permit can be obtained in exceptional circumstances, for example, when the applicant has serious health problems.

While the suspension of new applications for the PGP in 2025 is an important change for families, they can still look for alternative options for moving to Canada.

As a reminder, more and more expats dream of moving to Canada every year. And such a desire is quite real, because the country offers a large number of various immigration programs. We have already told you about the benefits of migrating to Canada and what paths to move are available in 2025.

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Igor Usyk - Head of Migration department at VisitWorld

To ensure a safe move to a new country, I advise you to consult a specialist. My colleagues, qualified specialists with a legal education, will help you avoid unpleasant situations during migration.

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