(CANADA) Immigration, refugees and citizenship canada (IRCC) has paused new parents and grandparents Program (PGP) applications for 2026, so families who want parents or grandparents in canada soon are mostly left with temporary-resident routes. For most households, that means choosing between the Super Visa for long stays or a regular visitor entry (TRV or eTA) for shorter, lower-cost visits.
This pause changes planning in a very practical way. permanent residence through the parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is not an option for new applicants right now, so families need a plan that still works if the pause lasts longer.
What’s closed and what’s still open: a reality check
IRCC’s current direction is clear: no new PGP sponsorships are accepted as of January 1, 2026, and the last PGP application deadline was October 9, 2025. That pushes families toward visas that treat parents and grandparents as visitors, even when the real goal is extended family time.
The upside is speed and flexibility. temporary visas usually move faster than a full permanent-residence sponsorship, and they avoid many PR-level costs.
The trade-off is status. Visitors don’t get the long-term certainty, work rights, or health coverage that comes with permanent residence.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the practical effect is that the Super Visa becomes the default family-reunification tool for many Canadians until PGP reopens.
Key takeaway: With PGP intake paused, temporary-visitor options (especially the Super Visa) are the main realistic routes for parents and grandparents to spend extended time in Canada.
The “fast and long-stay” route: Super Visa — from planning to arrival
The Super Visa is the main alternative because it stays open even when PGP intake stops. It is available only to parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and it offers the closest thing to “living together” without permanent residence.
Here’s the typical journey families follow:
- Confirm eligibility and plan the visit length.
– The Super Visa is a multiple-entry visa for up to 10 years.
– For applications made on or after June 22, 2023, each entry can allow a stay of up to 5 years.
- Prepare the financial support proof.
– The host in Canada must show they can support the visiting parent or grandparent.
– Families usually collect income documents early because missing proof causes delays.
- Buy the required medical insurance.
– Private medical insurance for at least 1 year with at least CAD 100,000 coverage is mandatory.
– The insurance must come from a Canadian insurer or an approved foreign insurer.
- Complete the required medical exam.
– A medical exam is required for Super Visa processing.
– Book it early, because clinic availability often sets the pace.
- Apply, then prepare for travel.
– Once approved, parents or grandparents enter Canada as visitors, not permanent residents.
– Their visitor status defines what they can and cannot do while in Canada.
For IRCC’s official Super Visa program information, use the government page here: IRCC — Apply for a super visa to visit your children or grandchildren.
What a Super Visa-holder can and cannot do
Super Visa holders can live in Canada for long stretches, travel in and out, and spend meaningful time with family without repeating short visitor stays. They still remain visitors.
- Allowed:
- Long multi-year stays (see above).
- Multiple entries over the visa validity period.
- Not allowed (without separate authorization):
- No automatic right to work in Canada.
- No studying unless they separately qualify for a study permit.
- Health coverage comes from the required private insurance, not from being a permanent resident.
Extending a Super Visa stay while in Canada
If your parent or grandparent is already in Canada and wants to stay longer after admission, IRCC allows an in-Canada extension.
- Program rule: extension can be requested for up to 2 more years per stay.
- Practical advice: apply well before status expires; clinic and processing timelines can be slow.
- Use the official visitor-record process and form:
IMM 5708— Application to Change Conditions, Extend my Stay or Remain in Canada as a Visitor.
The “cheapest for short visits” route: TRV or eTA
If the goal is shorter family visits, a standard visitor entry is often the lowest-cost approach. It does not include the Super Visa’s built-in one-year insurance requirement, although private coverage still matters for real-life risk.
There are two common routes:
- TRV (Temporary Resident Visa) — for parents or grandparents from visa-required countries.
- TRV applications commonly use:
IMM 5257— Application for Temporary Resident Visa. -
eTA (Electronic Travel Authorization) — for visa-exempt travellers arriving by air, if they meet eTA rules.
Typical characteristics of TRV/eTA visits:
- Stays are generally shorter (many travellers are admitted for up to six months by default at the port of entry).
- Longer stays require extensions through the visitor process.
- Works well for weddings, births, school holidays, or a few months of help during recovery.
- Less suited to multi-year co-residence.
Choosing between Super Visa and TRV/eTA: a practical checklist
Most families decide by focusing on three factors: time in Canada, insurance budget, and travel history.
Pick the Super Visa when:
– You want up to 5 years per entry (for applications on or after June 22, 2023).
– Your household can carry the mandatory one-year, CAD 100,000 insurance requirement.
– You want fewer border exits and fewer extension cycles.
Pick a TRV or eTA when:
– The visit is short and cost is the top concern.
– You prefer buying insurance on your own terms, rather than meeting the Super Visa requirement.
– You’re comfortable with shorter admissions and more frequent renewals or travel.
Both paths require convincing a visa officer that the visitor will respect their temporary status, including leaving Canada when required.
Permanent-residence alternatives that don’t rely on PGP
Some parents or grandparents can pursue permanent residence without being sponsored under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). These options are narrower but possible.
Economic immigration and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)
A parent or grandparent can sometimes qualify through economic immigration, including certain Provincial Nominee Programs, especially with:
- A valid job offer, or
- In-demand skills, or
- Business experience and investment capacity.
Examples often cited include Ontario employer job-offer streams, the Manitoba Business Investor Stream, and BC Entrepreneur Immigration. These options can be faster than waiting for PGP to reopen, but they are rarely cheaper than a Super Visa.
Other PR classes
Other routes can apply in specific family situations, such as:
- Spousal or partner sponsorship, if a parent has a Canadian spouse or partner.
- Refugee or protected-person pathways, which are fact-specific and not general family-reunification substitutes.
Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) applications: last resort, not “fast and cheap”
A Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) permanent-residence application is sometimes raised as a way to keep a parent or grandparent in Canada.
- H&C is discretionary, document-heavy, and slow.
- It often involves legal fees and years of uncertainty.
- IRCC’s PGP instructions add a sharp limit starting January 1, 2026: IRCC will not even consider H&C requests that are attached to PGP applications they do not accept for processing.
This makes H&C an even less useful workaround to the PGP pause.
Quebec-specific barrier: additional limits on PGP
Families in Quebec face a further constraint. Quebec reached its maximum number of undertaking applications for parents and grandparents until June 25, 2026.
Even when the federal side is filed, Quebec’s undertaking through MIFI is required before a PGP permanent-residence case can be approved.
In practice, that reality often pushes Quebec families toward the same temporary tools as everyone else: Super Visa for long stays, or TRV/eTA for shorter visits, while the broader PGP intake remains paused.
Following the suspension of new Parents and Grandparents Program applications until 2026, Canadian residents are pivoting to temporary resident visas. The Super Visa is the leading choice for long-term stays, requiring private medical insurance and financial proof. Alternatively, TRVs and eTAs suit shorter visits. These options provide immediate family reunification while the permanent residency sponsorship pathway remains unavailable for new applicants.
