Government instructions leave the door open for the Parents and Grandparents Program in 2026

Recent news about the closure of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) in 2026 does not tell the whole story.

While the Ministerial Instructions issued by the Government of Canada do state that intake of new applications for the programme will be closed this year, it is worth noting that they also include the possibility of new intake once “further instructions are issued” — and similar instructions have been issued at the start of each of the past four years in which the PGP has operated.

Although the fate of the PGP this year remains unknown, this article explores the implications of the similarities and differences between the current and previous ministerial instructions governing the PGP, and the possible consequences for the programme in 2026.

Ministerial Instructions are formal instructions from the relevant ministers setting out how the government will run its programmes and initiatives.

Background

Ministerial Instructions declaring the intake of new PGP applications closed were issued in 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022—all years in which the programme operated.

PGP differs from many other immigration programmes in that the creation of candidate profiles, the issuing of invitations and the intake of applications into the programme happen only once a year, within a set period.

Because of the programme’s limited operation, instructions expressly closing new intake are generally issued at the start of any given year. Those instructions are then usually amended by a second set of instructions later in the year, confirming new intake under the programme.

How do this year’s instructions compare with previous versions?

Comparing the most recent versions of the ministerial instructions for the PGP with previous years, three main themes emerge:

The language prohibiting new intake and governing current processing remains largely consistent

Each set of instructions uses substantially similar language to establish that, with effect from 01/01 of the relevant year, no new permanent resident visa applications for parents or grandparents (and no related sponsorship applications) will be accepted for processing “until further instructions are issued”.

These instructions also tend to refer to applications carried over from the previous year for continued processing in the following year.

This language is preserved in the latest instructions, and maintains Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ‘s annual pattern of closing and opening the PGP cycle.

The instructions on possible future intake this year also remain largely consistent, with a small but potentially significant caveat

Previous instructions, including those of 01/2024 and 01/2025, included express conditional language: “Unless a new intake for calendar year [year] is carried out…” before explaining that only the previous year’s pool would be accepted for processing.

The latest instructions do not present this caveat in the same way—instead, they state that with effect from 01/01/2026 no new applications will be accepted for processing until further instructions are issued, while confirming continued acceptance for processing of applications received in 2025.

While this might be seen as a simple change in drafting language, it is perhaps worth noting that the most recent instructions treat the reopening of the PGP as a matter of timing, rather than of possibility (with which the earlier instructions align more closely).

Both versions of the instructions largely serve the same function, however: preserving the ability to change the PGP’s operational status through further instructions.

Notably, even with this change of language in this year’s instructions, a new PGP intake in 2026 is not guaranteed.

The clearer changes appear to be operational details based on current intake levels, not structural changes to the intake method. These may nonetheless have important implications

Perhaps the clearest change to the instructions is the sharp reduction in the number of carried-over applications to be processed compared with previous years:

• 2024: up to 37,000 applications accepted.
• 2025: up to 15,000 applications accepted.
• 2026: up to 10,000 applications accepted.

These reductions mirror the immigration levels planned through the PGP this year, which have been cut from 24,500 new permanent resident admissions in 2025 to just 15,000 in 2026.

Importantly, this sharp reduction places less pressure on IRCC to open a new intake this year—because the department can reach its intended admissions levels by processing applications already submitted.