Family Sponsorship

Family Sponsorship Update — May 25, 2026

Monday, May 25, 2026


As of February 2026, family sponsorship processing times dropped compared to January 2026, with the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) seeing notable reductions in wait times.

As of a March 2026 update, PR card renewal processing stood at 16 days and spousal/common-law partner sponsorship processing times were being tracked monthly.

Processing times for other temporary resident categories (study and work permits) increased over the same period, and citizenship grant processing times also climbed.

What You Should Do

  • Check current family sponsorship processing times weekly at ircc.canada.ca/english/information/times — times are updated regularly and have been declining for PGP and spousal applications since January 2026.
  • If you submitted a spousal or common-law partner sponsorship application, log in to your IRCC account at ircc.canada.ca to confirm your Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR) — one Reddit user reported receiving an AOR within 18 days of a March 31, 2026 submission.
  • If your PR card renewal is pending, current processing is approximately 16 days — if it has been significantly longer, submit a web form inquiry at ircc.canada.ca/webform.

Topics Covered

Spousal Sponsorship Processing Improvements: Family sponsorship processing times, including spousal/common-law and PGP applications, declined between January and February 2026 according to IRCC's published processing time updates.

PR Card Processing Efficiency: As of March 2026, PR card renewal processing time was reported at 16 days, a reduction of 1 day from the prior period.


More Family Sponsorship Updates


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