Quebec Sets Limit On Spousal Sponsorship Applications Effective Jun 26

Last Updated On 26 June 2024, 5:48 PM EDT (Toronto Time)

Quebec has set a limit on applications for spousal sponsorship and children (18 and older), as well as for parent/grandparent/other relatives sponsorship, with some exemptions.

Effective June 26, 2024, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, and de l’Intégration (MIFI) will only accept 13,000 applications for a two-year timeframe.

This family sponsorship cap is a noteworthy development in the province that will affect families looking to reunite in the province.

Breakdown of cap on family sponsorship

Type of Application	Capping Until June 25, 2026
Spouses, common-law spouses, and dependent children aged 18 and up	10,400
Fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or other eligible relatives	2,600

However, this capping is not applicable for:

A sponsor’s dependent minor child.
Minor children the sponsor wishes to adopt.
An orphaned minor child of the sponsor’s brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandson, or granddaughter.
A sponsor’s adult child who is dependent on a parent due to disability.

These people must not be married or in a common-law relationship.

Applications to add a sponsored person’s dependent (dependant child, spouse, or common-law partner) who is currently eligible for coverage under an undertaking application or a concluded undertaking and is awaiting admission as a permanent resident are also exempt from the application reception cap.

Current Processing Times

Spousal sponsorship applications for Quebec are currently taking anywhere between 28 and 34 months, which is significantly higher than the rest of Canada at around 10 months.

Below is the most recent IRCC processing time comparison for processing family sponsorship applications.

Application Type	Current Processing Time	Change Since May 1	Change Since April 23
Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada (intention to live outside Quebec)	10 months	-3 months	-2 months
Spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada (intention to live in Quebec)	34 months	No Change	+6 months
Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada (intention to live outside Quebec)	10 months	-1 month	+2 months
Spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada (intention to live in Quebec)	28 months	+1 month	+4 months
Parents or Grandparents PR (intention to live outside Quebec)	24 months	+4 months	-3 months
Parents or Grandparents PR (intention to live in Quebec)	48 months	+15 months	+11 months

Family sponsorship processing times as of June 3

When does the cap expire?

This cap on family sponsorships for Quebec will expire on June 25, 2026.

What Happens Should the Cap Be Reached?

Should the cap be reached and the MIFI receives any non-exempt applications, it will return them without processing them or collecting the application fee.

Why Has Quebec Set a Cap?

The goal of the cap is to make sure that the number of family-class applications matches the yearly immigration levels that Quebec has set for 2024 and 2025.

For Families Looking to Reunite in Quebec, What Does This Mean?

Longer waiting periods for families hoping to rejoin in Quebec may result from the cap.

Those impacted must keep up with the most recent developments and, should the cap effect their application, look into other immigration choices.

Can I still submit a Quebec family sponsorship application?

Yes, family sponsorship applications are still accepted in Quebec until the cap is reached.

What happens if the cap causes my application to be returned?

Should the cap cause your application to be returned, you could have to look into other immigration choices or hold off until the cap is raised or removed.

How may I stay updated on the cap and its ramifications?

For up-to-date details on the cap and how it may affect Quebec family sponsorship applications, watch official government outlets and reliable immigration news sources.

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC

Kamal Deep Singh, RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) licensed by CICC (formerly known as ICCRC) with member number R708618. He brings extensive knowledge of immigration law and new changes to rapidly evolving IRCC.