The federal government will not accept any new applications this year from people who want to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada as permanent residents under a program meant to promote family reunification.
The Immigration Department said the change is part of an effort to responsibly manage the system and reduce wait times.
In a statement posted online Wednesday, the department said interest in the program continues to exceed the number of available spaces.
There are 60,500 applications in progress already and wait times for processing sit at around 33 months, or up to 66 months in Quebec.
The program was launched in 2020, when more than 200,000 permanent residents and citizens expressed interest in sponsoring a parent or grandparent to come to Canada….