Canada pauses parent, grandparent immigration applications

The government of Canada has paused accepting new applications under its Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program until further notice to "maintain a well-managed, sustainable immigration system."

"As part of these efforts, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is pausing the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program," the Canadian government said Wednesday in a press statement.

"We will continue to process existing applications and plan to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the PGP Program in 2026, in line with the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan," it added.

Canada said it foresees the temporary halt of new applications under the PCP program to help reduce processing times and improve predictability for families.

Under the IRCC's 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, Ottawa aims to reduce Canada's temporary population to less than 5% of the total population by the end of 2027.

Its target for permanent resident admissions under the PCP Program is 15,000 in 2026, and an additional 15,000 in 2027 and 2028.

Super visa

Amid the policy update, the IRCC said family reunification remains an important pillar of Canada's immigration system.

"Parents and grandparents continue to be able to visit their children and grandchildren in Canada through the super visa, which allows them to visit their children or grandchildren for five years at a time and provides multiple entries to Canada for up to 10 years," the IRCC said.

The IRCC noted that recent changes to its income and health insurance requirements have made the super visa more accessible, allowing more families of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite for longer periods.

The Filipino population in Canada has quadrupled from 1996 to 2021, according to sociodemographic study recently cited by the Canadian government.

The figure stands at over 957,000, based on Canada's 2021 Census of Population.

The study added that three-fourths of the Filipino population (75.3%) are born outside of Canada, with almost all of them born in the Philippines. — VDV, GMA News