The Canadian government recently announced that it plans to accept 10,000 applications under the PGP program in 2025. Find out who will be eligible for the permit and what alternative ways for elderly parents and grandparents to move to Canada are currently available

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The Canadian Parents, Grandparents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is designed to facilitate family reunification, as it allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents of the country to sponsor elderly relatives when moving to permanent residence in the country.

Recently, the Canadian authorities announced that in 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to accept up to 10,000 full applications for sponsorship under the PGP.

 Everything that is currently known about the Canadian PGP program, we have collected in this article.

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Who will be eligible to participate in the PGP program in Canada in 2025

In 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to accept up to 10,000 sponsorship applications under the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP).

However, it is worth noting that instead of opening new applications for sponsorship, IRCC will continue to select potential sponsors from among the applicants already in 2020. This approach was introduced 5 years ago, and it will remain unchanged in 2025.

Can new applicants apply for a Canadian PGP visa in 2025?

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

During this year, the country's leadership plans to exclusively process previously submitted documents.

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.

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.

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.

Book a consultation with a migration lawyer to choose the best way to move to Canada in 2025.

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.