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Sundeep S. Grewal is a lawyer at Lawgical Law Corporation, called to the BC bar in 2018, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Updated November 9, 2026: the program pause, the super visa income and insurance rules, the sponsor income rule and the appeal deadline checked on canada.ca and Justice Laws that day.
The rule: since July 15, 2026 IRCC accepts no new interest-to-sponsor forms and sends no invitations for parents and grandparents “until further notice.” Files already in processing continue.
Who it affects: every family that had not been invited and applied by then. If your file was refused, you still have the 30-day appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division.
What to do: find your stage in the table below. For most families the realistic route now is a super visa, which has easier income rules since March 31, 2026.
The lawyers who handle these files
Sundeep S. GrewalBarrister and Solicitor
Prabhpreet Kaur SanghaBarrister and Solicitor
Pardeep S. GrewalBarrister and SolicitorAbout our lawyers
Sundeep S. Grewal founded Lawgical Law Corporation and argues immigration cases at the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada.
Prabhpreet Kaur Sangha focuses on refugee claims, immigration appeals, inadmissibility, detention reviews and Federal Court cases, and has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars and the National Immigration Conference.
Pardeep S. Grewal is an immigration and estates lawyer known for clear communication and practical strategy.
If you were hoping to sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residence, you cannot start a new sponsorship right now: IRCC paused new intake on July 15, 2026 and has not said when it will reopen. What you can still do depends on where you were when the pause came. Families already in processing keep going, and IRCC plans up to 15,000 approvals in 2026. Refused sponsors have 30 days to appeal. Everyone else can bring a parent on a super visa for stays of up to 5 years at a time, with income rules that became more flexible on March 31, 2026.
Lawgical Law Corporation, an immigration law firm in Surrey, Abbotsford and Vancouver, BC, appeals refused parent and grandparent sponsorships to the Immigration Appeal Division and helps families with super visa and visitor visa applications and refusals.
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Can I sponsor my parents to Canada in 2026?
Not with a new application. On July 15, 2026 IRCC announced it will not receive new interest-to-sponsor forms or invite sponsors to apply “until further notice.” Applications already filed are still being processed, and IRCC plans to approve up to 15,000 people under the program in 2026 (IRCC notice, July 15, 2026).
The same notice points families to the super visa: parents and grandparents can still visit, for up to 5 years per entry, on a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years. It is a visitor visa, not permanent residence; it does not give the parent health coverage, a work permit or a path to PR on its own.
Where are you in the process?
Your options depend on one question: had IRCC already invited you and received your application before July 15, 2026? If yes, your file continues. If no, you cannot apply until IRCC reopens intake. If your file was refused, the pause does not take away your appeal.
| Your stage | What the pause means for you | What you can do now | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never submitted an interest-to-sponsor form, or submitted one and were never invited | No new forms are received and no invitations are sent “until further notice” (IRCC notice, July 15, 2026). There is no queue to join. | Super visa or visitor visa for your parent. Keep your notices of assessment: if intake reopens under the current rule, you will need minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the three tax years before filing (IRPR s. 133(1)(j)(i)(B)). | None now |
| Invited, applied, and waiting for a decision | IRCC keeps processing existing applications (IRCC notice, July 15, 2026). | Answer every IRCC request on time; keep your address and contact details current; keep proof of income for each required year. Your parent can visit on a super visa or visitor visa while the file is open. If the file has stalled well past normal times, see writ of mandamus for IRCC delays. | Whatever IRCC sets in each request |
| Refused (income, relationship, medical or other reason) | The pause does not affect your right to appeal. A sponsor can appeal a refused family-class visa to the Immigration Appeal Division (IRPA s. 63(1)). | Appeal to the IAD. It can allow the appeal if the decision was wrong, if fairness was breached, or on humanitarian and compassionate grounds (IRPA s. 67(1)). See parent sponsorship refused for income. | 30 days after you receive the decision (IAD Rules r. 16(a)) |
| Withdrew, or did not apply after being invited | A withdrawn or unsubmitted invitation is not held for you. IRCC has said nothing about invitations that were not used. | Same as “never invited”: super visa or visitor visa. | None now |
| Parent is already in Canada as a visitor | The pause does not change the parent’s visitor status. | Apply to extend before the stay ends (a visitor’s default stay is six months unless an officer sets another period: IRPR s. 183(2)). A humanitarian and compassionate application is the only route that exists right now for a parent already in Canada (see below). | Before the authorized stay ends |
Your options now
There are five routes, and which one fits depends on your stage. For most families who were never invited, the super visa is the main option. For refused families, the IAD appeal comes first because it has the shortest clock.
| Option | What it gives | Key requirement | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. IAD appeal (refused files) | A hearing; the IAD can overturn the refusal on the law, the facts, fairness or humanitarian grounds | File within 30 days of receiving the refusal | Sponsors refused before or after the pause |
| 2. Super visa | Multiple-entry visa valid up to 10 years; up to 5 years per entry | Host meets LICO in either of the last two tax years, or 75% of LICO plus the parent’s income; $100,000 insurance for 1 year; medical exam | Most families never invited |
| 3. Visitor visa | Shorter visits (default stay six months) | Officer must accept the parent is a genuine visitor who will leave | Parents who will not meet super visa income or insurance rules, or who want shorter visits |
| 4. Keep a file in process moving | Permanent residence if approved | Meet every IRCC request and the income rule for the required years | Families invited and applied before July 15 |
| 5. Humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application | Permanent residence on exceptional grounds | The Minister must be persuaded H&C considerations justify an exemption (IRPA s. 25(1)) | The only route open at this time for a parent who is already in Canada |
Super visa: the income and insurance rules since March 31, 2026
From March 31, 2026, the child or grandchild inviting the parent can meet the income requirement in either of the two tax years before applying. Or the host can show at least 75% of the low income cut-off (LICO) and let the visiting parent’s own income cover the rest, up to 25%. Both options apply to applications already in processing on that date.
The details, from IRCC’s notice (modified Mar 20, 2026) and its officer instructions (modified Aug 25, 2026):
- Option 1, either of the last two years: host plus any co-signer at or above the most recent LICO in either of the two tax years before the application. The CRA notice of assessment is the main proof; T4 or T1 can be used if the notice is not available.
- Option 2, 75% plus the parent’s income: host plus co-signer at least 75% of LICO in the most recent tax year or 12-month period; the visiting parent’s or grandparent’s income (pension, remote work, investments, business or rent) covers the gap, up to 25%. If both parents apply, both incomes can count. Foreign income is converted at the exchange rate on the application date.
- Co-signer: only the host’s spouse or common-law partner (IRCC document list).
- Insurance: at least $100,000 emergency coverage per person, covering health care, hospitalization and repatriation, valid for at least 1 year from each entry, paid in full or by instalments with a deposit (quotes are not accepted), from a Canadian insurer or an OSFI-authorized foreign insurer.
- Host: the parent’s child or grandchild, 18 or older, living in Canada, a citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian, who signs a letter of invitation (IRCC eligibility, modified July 6, 2026).
- Parent: applies from outside Canada, is admissible, completes a medical exam and satisfies the officer they are a genuine visitor with ties to their home country.
Worked example: does a family meet Option 2?
The figures below are illustrative only; use the current LICO table for your family size on IRCC’s site.
- Say the LICO for the host’s family size, counting the visiting parents, is $50,000.
- Option 1: the host earned $44,000 last year and $47,000 the year before. Neither year reaches $50,000, so Option 1 fails.
- Option 2: the host needs at least 75% of $50,000, which is $37,500. $44,000 clears it.
- The gap is $50,000 minus $44,000, or $6,000. That is within the 25% ($12,500) the parents’ income may cover.
- If the parents receive a pension of $7,000 a year, converted at the exchange rate on the application date, the family meets Option 2, provided the pension is documented as IRCC’s instructions require.
If your parent sponsorship was refused: the IAD appeal
A refused parent or grandparent sponsorship can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division within 30 days after the sponsor receives the decision. The pause on new applications does not change that right. The IAD can allow the appeal on the law, the facts, fairness, or humanitarian and compassionate grounds, taking into account the best interests of any child directly affected.
- Right of appeal: IRPA s. 63(1).
- Grounds: IRPA s. 67(1)(a) to (c).
- Deadline: the notice of appeal, with the officer’s decision and any written reasons, must reach the IAD within 30 days after the day the sponsor receives the decision (IAD Rules, SOR/2022-277, rr. 13(1)(a) and 16(a)).
- Income refusals: how the IAD treats a shortfall against the minimum necessary income plus 30% is covered in parent sponsorship refused for income: appealing to the IAD.
Worked deadline: a sponsor who receives the refusal on March 2 counts 30 days from March 3; the notice must be received by April 1. File early; the rule counts receipt by the IAD, not the day you send it.
Why a lawyer: most of an IAD appeal is legal argument built from case law, which lawyers are trained for, and what is argued at the IAD becomes the record for any Federal Court review that follows. Only a lawyer can represent you in the Federal Court.
Visitor visa instead of a super visa
A regular visitor visa suits parents who want shorter visits or whose hosts do not meet the super visa income or insurance rules. The default stay is six months unless the officer sets another period (IRPR s. 183(2)). The officer must still be satisfied the parent will leave at the end of the stay, which is the most common reason for refusal.
If a visitor or super visa is refused, read visitor visa refused: reasons, reapplying and judicial review. A refusal made outside Canada can be challenged in the Federal Court within 60 days (IRPA s. 72(2)(b)).
When a humanitarian and compassionate application makes sense
For a parent already in Canada, it is the only route that exists at this time. An H&C application asks the Minister to grant permanent residence as an exception (IRPA s. 25(1)). It is not a substitute for the paused program, and IRCC will not examine it in some situations, such as when another H&C request by the same person is pending (s. 25(1.2)). It can fit a parent already in Canada with long, deep ties and real hardship on return.
See applying for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds and our H&C page.
What the rules still require of sponsors in process
A sponsor of a parent or grandparent must show total income of at least the minimum necessary income plus 30% for each of the three consecutive tax years before the sponsorship application was filed (IRPR s. 133(1)(j)(i)(B), current to October 19, 2026). The pause did not change that rule for files already in processing.
Mistakes I have seen families make
- I have seen families pay someone who promised a “reserved spot” in a parent sponsorship lottery after the pause. There are no new invitations.
- I have seen sponsors miss the 30-day IAD deadline because they assumed the pause meant there was no point appealing.
- I have seen super visa hosts refused because the insurance was a quote, not a paid policy.
- I have seen hosts count income from a year outside the two-year window, or a co-signer who was not their spouse or partner.
- I have seen parents refused a visitor visa because the invitation letter and the parent’s own answers about the length of the trip did not match.
Frequently asked questions
When will the Parents and Grandparents Program reopen?
IRCC has not said. Its July 15, 2026 notice pauses new intake “until further notice,” and we have not found a reopening date on any official page as of November 9, 2026. We will update this page when IRCC announces one.
Is my application that is already in process affected?
No, IRCC says it keeps processing existing applications. It plans to approve up to 15,000 people under the program in 2026.
Can my parent apply for a super visa while my sponsorship is in process?
Yes, the two are separate applications. The super visa has its own income, insurance and medical rules, and the parent must convince the officer they will leave at the end of each stay.
Can I use my parents’ pension to meet the super visa income requirement?
Yes, since March 31, 2026, if you meet at least 75% of the LICO yourself (with any spouse or partner co-signer). The parents’ income can cover the remaining gap, up to 25%, with documents showing it.
My parent sponsorship was refused in 2026. Is it too late to appeal?
Not if you are within 30 days of receiving the decision; the notice of appeal must reach the IAD in that time. After 30 days you would need to ask the IAD to accept a late appeal, which is not automatic.
Can my parents get permanent residence another way?
Sometimes. A parent may qualify in their own right under an economic program, or, for a parent already in Canada, on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, which is the only route open at this time. That depends on the parent’s age, work history and ties to Canada.
What should I do right now?
Find your row in the table. If you have a refusal, note the date you received it and count 30 days; gather the refusal letter, the officer’s reasons and your notices of assessment for the three years before you filed. If you were never invited, collect your last two notices of assessment, your parent’s proof of income if you may need Option 2, and an insurance quote to turn into a paid policy, and start the super visa. Fifteen days passes fast, and thirty is not much longer.
Book a consultation with our Surrey, Abbotsford or Vancouver office. For refused files, see also our parent sponsorship appeals page and family sponsorship.
Ready to book? Open the booking form ↑
Sources (official)
- IRCC notice, “Canada takes steps to responsibly manage the Parents and Grandparents Program” (July 15, 2026; modified July 15, 2026): canada.ca
- IRCC notice, “Changes to how the parents and grandparents super visa income requirement is calculated” (modified Mar 20, 2026): canada.ca
- IRCC officer instructions, “Temporary residents: Super visa” (modified Aug 25, 2026): canada.ca
- IRCC, super visa eligibility (modified July 6, 2026): canada.ca
- IRCC, super visa “Get your documents ready” (modified Feb 10, 2025): canada.ca
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, ss. 25, 63, 67, 72 (current to Oct 19, 2026): s. 25, s. 63, s. 67, s. 72
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, ss. 133 and 183 (current to Oct 19, 2026): s. 133, s. 183
- Immigration Appeal Division Rules, SOR/2022-277, rr. 13 and 16 (current to Oct 19, 2026): laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts.