Parents and Grandparents Program 2026: What the Levels Plan Cut and the Super Visa Fix Mean

Anyone who has been waiting to sponsor a parent or grandparent for permanent residence in Canada is now working with a different set of numbers than they were two years ago. The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan released on November 4, 2025 cut annual Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP) admissions to 15,000 — down from 34,000 in the previous 2024-2026 plan. The 2025 intake round closed October 9, 2025 with 17,860 invitations sent from a 2020 interest-to-sponsor pool. And as of January 1, 2026, no new PGP applications are being accepted for processing “until further instructions are issued.” At the same time, IRCC has quietly rebuilt the Super Visa to fill the gap left behind.

This piece walks through both sides of that shift — what the Levels Plan actually says about PGP admissions from now until 2028, what the current PGP intake situation is, and how the two Super Visa changes (income calculation on March 31, 2026 and health insurance on January 28, 2025) rewrote the visitor pathway that most families will actually use.

The Levels Plan cut PGP admissions by more than half

The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan was released on November 4, 2025, and it locks in permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year across all three years — a plateau rather than the year-over-year growth Canada saw through the early 2020s. Inside that number, the PGP allocation was reduced significantly:

For PGP specifically, the 2026 admission target is less than half what was projected for the same year under the earlier plan. And the target flatlines at 15,000 through 2027 and 2028. On the sponsorship interest side, the Levels Plan gives the government room to accept between 13,000 and 19,000 PGP admissions in any given year — that’s the published range. But the central target is the number that guides invitations and processing.

The 2026 intake situation, in plain English

IRCC last held a PGP intake in 2025. On July 28, 2025, they sent 17,860 invitations to potential sponsors who had submitted an interest-to-sponsor form back in 2020 — the last time IRCC accepted new interest-to-sponsor submissions. The goal was to receive 10,000 complete sponsorship applications. The deadline for invited sponsors to submit was October 9, 2025.

As of January 1, 2026, under Ministerial Instructions 89 (MI89):

• No new PR visa applications from parents or grandparents of a sponsor are being received for processing. No new sponsorship applications are being received either.
• IRCC retains authority to accept into processing up to 10,000 applications received as part of the 2025 intake. If you received an invitation in July 2025 and submitted by October 9, 2025, your file is still being worked.
• The instruction is administrative — it holds the door closed until IRCC decides how the next intake will run. “Details on the next intake will be shared when they are available.”

What the page does not say — and what nobody at IRCC has publicly committed to — is whether the next intake will pull from the 2020 pool again or open a fresh interest-to-sponsor window. The 2020 pool still contains many potential sponsors who have never been invited. IRCC could keep drawing from it. Or the department could shift to a randomized lottery-style system similar to the 2020-2021 rounds. The current messaging is deliberately vague.

The sponsorship income requirements haven’t dropped

If you are invited in a future intake, you’ll need to prove three tax years of income above the PGP thresholds. The 2025 intake required tax years 2022, 2023, and 2024. Any future intake will move that window forward — a 2026 intake would look at 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The current thresholds ([IRCC Help Centre](https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=1445&top=14)) for the 2025 intake, which give the best available view of what a 2026 intake would look like:

These are the sponsor’s (and co-signer’s) required income levels. All three tax years must meet or exceed the threshold — a single below-threshold year kills the sponsorship. The undertaking obligation runs 20 years from the date the parent or grandparent becomes a permanent resident (10 years in Quebec).

The Super Visa was rebuilt to fill the gap

IRCC has been making the Super Visa progressively easier over the past 18 months. Two changes matter most: how host income is calculated, and where the health insurance policy can come from.

Change 1: Host income calculation (effective March 31, 2026)

The notice published March 20, 2026 announced a March 31, 2026 policy change to how IRCC assesses host income for a Super Visa. Before the change, IRCC looked at only the tax year immediately preceding the application. Now hosts have two alternative ways to meet the income requirement:

1. Two-year window. The host, together with any co-signer, may meet or exceed the minimum necessary income in either one of the two taxation years preceding the application. A single strong year is now enough — not two straight strong years.
2. Visitor income top-up. If the host and co-signer meet at least a minimum percentage of the income requirement (currently 75% under the second option on IRCC’s guidance page), the visiting parent or grandparent can add their own income to cover the shortfall.

Both options apply to applications already in processing on March 31, 2026 and to any application filed afterward. Families who were previously eligible remain eligible — the change is one-directional relief.

The [current minimum income thresholds by host family size](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/parent-grandparent-super-visa/forms-documents/host-financial-support.html) (updated July 29, 2025):

Notice how much lower these are than the PGP sponsorship thresholds — a 4-person family sponsoring PGP needs about $70,972 for 2024, while the same 4-person family hosting a Super Visa needs $56,724. The Super Visa was always the easier financial test. It’s now easier still.

Change 2: Foreign insurance now accepted (effective January 28, 2025)

The notice published January 28, 2025 flipped a long-standing restriction. Before the change, Super Visa applicants had to purchase health insurance from a Canadian insurance company. Foreign policies were not accepted. That effectively meant paying Canadian-market prices — which are considerable — for coverage that lasted the full duration of each entry.

As of January 28, 2025, Super Visa applicants can purchase a private health insurance policy from a foreign insurance company, provided that company is authorized by the [Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)](https://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca/en) to provide accident and sickness insurance and appears on OSFI’s list of federally regulated financial institutions. The policy must be issued under the company’s insurance business in Canada. The duration must cover the entire authorized stay.

The 2026 Ministerial Instructions on the Super Visa repealed and replaced the September 15, 2023 instructions. The new instructions came into force on March 31, 2026 and formally codify both the insurance and income changes.

Super Visa fundamentals (what hasn’t changed)

Everything else about the Super Visa remains as it has been under the [current program page](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/parent-grandparent-super-visa.html):

• Length of stay: 5 years per entry, with the option to apply for a 2-year extension while in Canada.
• Validity: Multiple entries for up to 10 years.
• Dependants: Cannot be included on the parent’s or grandparent’s application. Each Super Visa is per-person (though a spouse can be added as a co-visitor with their own Super Visa application).
• Eligibility of visitors: Parents or grandparents of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or persons registered under the Indian Act.
• Medical examination: Required from a panel physician.
• Provincial health care: Super Visa holders are not eligible. Private insurance is mandatory.
• Fee: Starts at CAD $100.

How the two pathways compare in 2026

What to do this year — a practical framework

1. Confirm whether you’re in the 2020 interest-to-sponsor pool. If you submitted an interest-to-sponsor form in 2020 and were not invited in the 2025 round, your name is likely still in the pool for the next intake. IRCC has not published the exact composition of the residual 2020 pool, but every unused invitation slot represents future potential.
2. Keep your CRA notices of assessment current and clean. The next PGP intake will require the three tax years before application. That means 2023, 2024, and 2025 for a 2026 intake, or 2024, 2025, and 2026 for a 2027 intake. Any weak year is a problem — plan your income and RRSP timing accordingly.
3. Register a Super Visa application now. If getting your parent or grandparent to Canada matters this year, do not wait for the PGP intake to reopen. The Super Visa is available immediately and does not affect any future PGP application — you can hold both simultaneously.
4. Shop foreign OSFI-approved insurance quotes. Insurance is often the largest single Super Visa cost. Foreign policies from OSFI-approved insurers can be substantially cheaper than Canadian-market equivalents. Confirm the specific insurer is on OSFI’s list before purchasing.
5. Use the two-year income window strategically. If your 2024 income was lower for one-time reasons (parental leave, job change, business investment year), the 2025 tax year can be used alone for the host income requirement — no need to average or reconcile both years.

The strategic read

What IRCC is signaling — through the Levels Plan cut, the January 2026 processing freeze, and the two Super Visa changes — is a clear preference: fewer permanent resident parents and grandparents, more long-stay visitors. That is a policy choice consistent with the government’s broader message about “sustainable” immigration and returning “overall immigration to sustainable levels” (the wording used in both the March 20, 2026 income change notice and the levels plan communication).

For families, the strategic response is symmetrical: don’t abandon the PGP hope, but stop building around it as the primary pathway. Use the Super Visa as the working tool. Keep the PGP application-ready for whenever the next intake opens. And run the two-year window and visitor-income options aggressively when they apply — IRCC built them for a reason.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit a new interest-to-sponsor form for PGP right now?

No. As of January 1, 2026, no new PGP applications — including interest-to-sponsor forms — are being accepted. IRCC has not yet announced when or how the next intake will open. The current 2020 interest-to-sponsor pool is what all recent invitations have drawn from.

If I received a PGP invitation in July 2025 and submitted by October 9, 2025, is my application still being processed?

Yes. IRCC retains authority under Ministerial Instructions 89 to accept up to 10,000 applications from the 2025 intake into processing during 2026. Processing continues on those files.

Can I have a Super Visa application in progress at the same time as a PGP sponsorship?

Yes. The two applications are on separate tracks and do not conflict. Many families keep a Super Visa active while waiting for PGP processing to complete.

Does the Super Visa’s foreign insurance rule apply to any insurance company outside Canada?

No. The foreign insurance company must be authorized by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to provide accident and sickness insurance, must appear on OSFI’s list of federally regulated financial institutions, and must issue the policy under its insurance business in Canada.

If my parent or grandparent already holds a Super Visa, does the March 31, 2026 income change help their next application?

The change applies to all new applications on or after March 31, 2026 and to applications already in processing on that date. Existing Super Visa holders continue to travel on their current visa; the change becomes relevant when applying for renewal or for a new co-visitor.

Sources consulted for this article: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “Supplementary Information for the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan,” released November 4, 2025, canada.ca. IRCC, “Sponsor your parents and grandparents,” canada.ca. IRCC, “Ministerial Instructions 89 (MI89): Parents and Grandparents,” canada.ca. IRCC Help Centre, “How much income do I need to sponsor my parents and grandparents?”, ircc.canada.ca. IRCC, “Super visa for parents and grandparents,” canada.ca. IRCC, “Changes to how the parents and grandparents super visa income requirement is calculated,” Notice, March 20, 2026, canada.ca. IRCC, “Change to health insurance requirement makes the super visa more accessible,” Notice, January 28, 2025, canada.ca. IRCC, “Ministerial Instructions regarding the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa (2026),” effective March 31, 2026, canada.ca. IRCC, “Super visa for parents and grandparents – Proof of financial support,” updated July 6, 2026, canada.ca. IRCC, “Application to Sponsor Parents and Grandparents (Guide 5772),” canada.ca.