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Family Sponsorship

Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada) Processing Time

About 29 months↓ 1 month faster than the previous update

About 39,000 people waiting · IRCC data as of August 10, 2026

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) lets Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence. Intake is limited: IRCC invites potential sponsors from an interest-to-sponsor pool, and demand vastly exceeds the annual spots.

This page tracks IRCC's published processing time for PGP applications destined outside Quebec — measured after a complete application is submitted, not the years families may wait for an invitation.

Current
29 mo
All-Time Low
26 mo
All-Time High
42 mo

Processing Time History

Processing time history for Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada)
DateProcessing Time (months)
October 9, 202526
November 6, 202542
December 9, 202540
January 14, 202637
February 12, 202635
March 9, 202634
April 7, 202634
May 12, 202633
June 8, 202632
July 7, 202630
August 10, 202629

People Ahead by Application Month

IRCC also publishes how many applications submitted in each month are still ahead of you in the Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada) queue.

People ahead by application month for Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada)
MonthPeople Ahead
2024/0823800
2024/0923800
2024/1023800
2024/1123900
2024/1223900
2025/0123900
2025/0223900
2025/0324000
2025/0424000
2025/0524100
2025/0624100
2025/0724200
2025/0826600
2025/0931800
2025/1038400
2025/1138500
2025/1238500
2026/0138600
2026/0238600
2026/0338700
2026/0438800
2026/0538800
2026/0638900
2026/0739000

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada) take right now?

As of August 10, 2026, IRCC reports a processing time of about 29 months for Parents & Grandparents (Rest of Canada) applications, with about 39,000 people waiting.

Does this time include waiting for an invitation to sponsor?

No. The published time starts when a complete sponsorship application is received. The wait for an invitation from the interest-to-sponsor pool is separate and can span multiple years.

Is there an alternative to the PGP?

The super visa lets parents and grandparents visit for up to five years per entry with multi-entry validity up to ten years. Many families use it while waiting for a PGP invitation or decision.

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