Due to ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Canada has decided to delay the opening of its 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program. 

Initially developed to enable Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents to obtain permanent residency, the program has been a popular one. Since 2011, the federal government has sought various ways to manage its intake. Due to its popularity, the launch of the call for expressions of interest to apply for PGP was highly-anticipated. 

In 2019 alone, over 100,000 Canadians submitted expressions of interest to sponsor a parent or grandparent, despite there being only 21,000 permanent resident slots available. 

With Canada targeting the admissions of 21,000 immigrants under PGP in its 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC will still continue to process these applications. Interested applicants should note the temporary deferral of the call for applications is not expected to impact when parents and grandparents will arrive in Canada. 

However, it remains to be seen what the PGP intake process will look like once it relaunches later this year.