Family Sponsorship Update — October 19, 2026
Monday, October 19, 2026
Canada's 2026–2028 immigration levels plan targets 84,000 family class admissions in 2026, dropping to 81,000 in both 2027 and 2028; within that, Spouses/Partners/Children are allotted 69,000 spots in 2026 (falling to 66,000 in 2027–2028), while Parents and Grandparents hold steady at 15,000 per year.
Spousal/partner sponsorship applications must be submitted online (mandatory since September 23, 2022); once a PR application is in progress, sponsored spouses outside Canada may apply for a visitor visa and, if approved, an open work permit (OWP) upon arrival while awaiting a PR decision.
Processing times for applicants whose last country of residence is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda are expected to be longer than standard posted times due to temporary special measures currently in effect.
What You Should Do
- Check current spousal/partner sponsorship processing times at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/check-processing-times.html — select 'Family sponsorship' then 'Spouse, partner or dependent child' and your province of residence to get a current estimate.
- If you have a spousal PR application in progress and your spouse is outside Canada, advise them to apply for a visitor visa now via IRCC's online portal so they can later request an open work permit (OWP) upon arrival in Canada while awaiting their PR decision.
- If you plan to sponsor a parent or grandparent, monitor the IRCC notices page (canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices.html) for announcements about the next Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) intake, as the 15,000-spot annual cap means intake windows fill quickly.
- If you cannot apply online for spousal sponsorship and need an alternate format (paper, braille, or large print), email IRCC.PRPortalALTRequest-DemandeALTPortailRP.IRCC@cic.gc.ca with only your request for an alternate format — do not include extra information.
- If your application involves the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda as the last country of residence, check the special measures notice at canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices.html for the latest updates, as finalizations are currently paused for these countries.
Sources
Topics Covered
Parents and Grandparents Program Regional Disparities: The PGP annual cap remains unchanged at 15,000 spots per year from 2026 through 2028, with no new intake date publicly announced as of the issue date.
Spousal Sponsorship Processing Improvements: IRCC confirms that sponsored spouses outside Canada can apply for a visitor visa and then an open work permit upon arrival while their PR application is in progress, providing an interim pathway to work in Canada.
2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan: Family class admissions are set at 84,000 in 2026 and 81,000 in both 2027 and 2028, with the spousal/partner/children stream accounting for the largest share and declining slightly after 2026.
How these topics connect
- RelatedParents and Grandparents Program Regional Disparities→Spousal Sponsorship Processing Improvements
Applicants sponsoring family members destined for Quebec face compounding disadvantages across both spousal and parent/grandparent categories, suggesting the Canada-Quebec Accord's dual-assessment structure is the common structural bottleneck — regardless of the family class category being sponsored.
More Family Sponsorship Updates
Family Sponsorship Update — October 15, 2026
Oct 15, 2026
Family Sponsorship Update — October 12, 2026
Oct 12, 2026
Family Sponsorship Update — October 8, 2026
Oct 8, 2026
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