Quebec will reopen intake for capped family sponsorship undertakings on July 2, 2026, with a new two-year limit on applications for spouses, parents, and grandparents. Adult dependent children will no longer count toward the cap.
Over the new intake period, Quebec will accept a maximum of 15,700 undertaking applications for family members seeking permanent residence in the province:
- 13,300 applications for spouses
- 2,400 applications for parents and grandparents
Applications received after the cap is reached will be returned without processing, and fees will be refunded.
The intake period and cap were announced by Quebec’s immigration department, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI). According to the announcement, MIFI will prioritize older applications once intake opens.
The cap does not apply to undertakings for:
- Dependent children
- Orphaned minor children
- Children being adopted
- Adding dependents to an application that already includes a family member covered by an existing undertaking
For family sponsorship purposes, a dependent child is generally a child under 22 who is not married or in a common-law relationship. A child aged 22 or older may also qualify as a dependent child if they are financially dependent because of a mental or physical condition and were financially dependent before age 22.
Spousal sponsorship can apply to a legally married spouse, a common-law partner, or a conjugal partner.
Quebec first introduced a cap on family sponsorship undertakings in June 2024. That initial cap included dependent children aged 18 or older, except children financially dependent because of mental or physical conditions.
The first capped intake period was set to run from June 26, 2024, to June 25, 2026. It reached its limits in July 2025:
- The cap for spouses and adult dependent children was reached by July 9, 2025.
- The cap for parents and grandparents was reached by July 22, 2025.
Family sponsorship for people intending to settle in Quebec follows a different process than sponsorship elsewhere in Canada. Foreign nationals applying for permanent residence with the intention of settling in Quebec must first obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate, known as a CSQ, from MIFI.
The main practical change is that capped intake will reopen on July 2, 2026, but places for spouses, parents, and grandparents remain limited. Sponsors should be prepared for the cap to close again once the maximum number of applications is reached.
Source article: www.cicnews.com
