Canada slams door on elderly parents: PR ban and caregiver program halt hit Punjabis hard

Ottawa (The Uttam Hindu): The Trudeau government has dealt another major blow to Punjabis who wish to go to Canada and have settled there. The Canadian government has made strict changes in the visa rules and has put a ban on new applications for 'Permanent Residence' (PR) for the elderly (parents and grandparents). This decision is no less than a shock for thousands of Punjabis who wanted to bring their elderly parents to Canada permanently. However, the relief is that the elderly will still have the option of 'Super Visa', through which they can stay with their families in Canada for 5 consecutive years.

According to the Canadian Immigration Department, the government has decided to reduce the number of PR applications under its new immigration policy for 2026-2028. Due to this reduction, new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will not be accepted in 2025. The government has clarified that for now, only files submitted in 2024 will be processed. Statistics show that approximately 25,000 to 30,000 senior citizens used to receive PR each year, including approximately 6,000 Punjabi senior citizens. Now, this route has been closed until further notice.

Caregiver program also put on hold

Apart from the PR for the elderly, the Canadian government has also put a halt on the 'Home Care Worker' (Caregiver) pilot program from December 2025 until further notice. This visa was a major route for those who wanted to settle in Canada on the basis of caring for children or the elderly. Now this program will not reopen in March 2026. The government has cited the housing crisis in the country and the increasing pressure on health services as the main reasons behind this. According to the Immigration Department, currently there are about 81 lakh people above the age of 65 in Canada, due to which there is a huge burden on the healthcare system there.

Expert opinion: Don't panic, the doors to socializing are open

This new decree has created a sense of unease in Punjab, especially in NRI hubs like Jalandhar. Tirth Singh, owner of Pinnacle Visa, located near the Jalandhar bus stand, said that while this news is certainly worrying for elderly people visiting their children, there's no need to panic. He said he's been receiving calls from many elderly people in panic. Tirth Singh clarified that the Canadian government has imposed a ban on PR, not on travel or super visas. He said the rules will become clearer after reviewing the full policy, but Canada has previously taken similar temporary steps to reduce backlogs.