On This Page, You Will Find:
- Where family class immigrants came from in 2024
- Inside the family class: spouses, partners and children versus parents and grandparents
- What has changed since the 2019 figures
- How 2024 admissions compare with the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan
- The parents and grandparents intake pause
- What the published data does not yet show
- Frequently asked questions
India remains by a wide margin the most important source of permanent residents admitted to Canada through family sponsorship, and its lead has widened sharply over the past five years. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) admitted 31,425 Indian citizens under the family reunification category in 2024, according to the department’s 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.
The figures on this page were checked on 30 August 2026. The country-level admissions data covers the 2024 calendar year, which is the most recent year for which IRCC has published a breakdown of permanent resident admissions by immigration category and country of citizenship in its Annual Report to Parliament.
Where Family Class Immigrants Came From In 2024
IRCC publishes the five leading countries of citizenship for each permanent resident category. For family reunification in 2024, those five countries accounted for 58,265 admissions, or 55.0 per cent of all family class admissions that year.
| Rank | Country of citizenship | Family class admissions, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 31,425 |
| 2 | Philippines | 9,500 |
| 3 | China, People’s Republic of | 8,320 |
| 4 | United States of America | 4,665 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 4,355 |
| Top five combined | 58,265 (55.0% of the category) |
Source: IRCC, 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, Table 5, 2024 data.
India alone accounted for 31,425 of the 105,990 family class admissions recorded in 2024, or 29.6 per cent of the category. That is more than three times the Philippine total and close to four times the Chinese total. The United States and Pakistan round out the group, each contributing well under 5,000 people.
The concentration is worth noting. Just five countries supply more than half of all family class newcomers, a pattern that mirrors the wider immigration picture set out in our review of the top source countries of new permanent residents of Canada.
Inside The Family Class: Spouses, Partners And Children Versus Parents And Grandparents
Canada’s family class is not one program but two main streams, and they are very different in size.
In 2024, IRCC admitted 78,655 people as sponsored spouses, partners and dependent children, and 27,330 people as sponsored parents and grandparents. Together with a small number of other sponsored relatives, that produced the 105,990 total for the family reunification category. Spouses, partners and children therefore made up roughly three-quarters of all family class admissions, and parents and grandparents roughly one-quarter.
Both streams were slightly smaller in 2024 than in 2023. Spousal, partner and child admissions fell 3.4 per cent from 81,417 in 2023, while parent and grandparent admissions fell 3.5 per cent from 28,313. The category as a whole declined 3.4 per cent from 109,730 in 2023.
The five-year trend published by IRCC shows how far the numbers recovered after the pandemic before turning down: 49,290 family class admissions in 2020, 81,423 in 2021, 97,338 in 2022, 109,730 in 2023 and 105,990 in 2024. If you are weighing an application, our guides to spousal, common-law and conjugal partner sponsorship and to the Parents and Grandparents Program set out the eligibility rules for each stream.
What Has Changed Since The 2019 Figures
The earlier version of this article, published in September 2021, used IRCC data for 2019. That year, India supplied 17,660 of the 91,310 people admitted through family sponsorship programs, a share of 19.3 per cent.
Five years on, the picture has shifted in two ways. First, the category is larger: 105,990 admissions in 2024 against 91,310 in 2019, an increase of 14,680 people. Second, and more strikingly, India’s contribution has grown far faster than the category itself. Indian admissions rose from 17,660 to 31,425, an increase of about 78 per cent, lifting India’s share from 19.3 per cent to 29.6 per cent.
China, meanwhile, has moved from second place in 2019 to third in 2024, overtaken by the Philippines. The 2021 article also carried first-half 2020 figures, which reflected pandemic border closures and are no longer a useful guide to anything.
How 2024 Admissions Compare With The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan
The direction of travel from here is downward. The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, published by IRCC in November 2025, sets overall permanent resident admissions at 380,000 in each of 2026, 2027 and 2028. Within that, the total family class target is 84,000 in 2026, with a range of 78,500 to 92,000, falling to 81,000 in both 2027 and 2028.
That 2026 target sits 21,990 below the 105,990 people actually admitted in 2024, a reduction of about 21 per cent. Broken down, the plan allows 69,000 admissions for spouses, partners and children in 2026 and 15,000 for parents and grandparents. The parents and grandparents figure is roughly 45 per cent below the 27,330 admitted in 2024.
IRCC states that the family class will account for between 21.3 and 22.1 per cent of overall permanent resident admissions across the three years of the plan, so the proportional commitment to family reunification is broadly stable even as the absolute numbers fall. Our analysis of what to expect from Canada’s 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan covers the wider reductions across every category.
The Parents And Grandparents Intake Pause
On 15 July 2026, IRCC announced that it was pausing the intake of new applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program. The department said it would not receive new interest to sponsor forms, and would not invite potential sponsors to apply, until further notice.
The pause applies to new intake only. IRCC confirmed it will continue processing applications already in the system and still plans to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residence through the programme in 2026, in line with the levels plan. The department attributed the decision to interest in the programme consistently exceeding the spaces available, and said the pause is intended to reduce processing times and improve predictability.
Parents and grandparents can still visit family in Canada through the super visa, which permits stays of up to five years per entry with multiple entries over a period of up to ten years. IRCC has recently adjusted both the income and the health insurance requirements attached to that visa.
What The Published Data Does Not Yet Show
Two gaps are worth stating plainly. First, IRCC’s Annual Report publishes only the top five countries of citizenship per category, not a full top ten, so this page ranks five countries rather than ten. Country-level detail beyond the top five sits in IRCC’s monthly open data files rather than in the published report.
Second, full-year 2025 country-of-citizenship figures for the family class had not been published in an Annual Report to Parliament as of 30 August 2026. IRCC told the House of Commons immigration committee in March 2026 that Canada welcomed approximately 96,100 permanent residents under family class sponsorship in 2025, but it has not yet broken that total down by country. The figures above are therefore 2024 data. IRCC’s monthly open data releases for permanent residents will be the source for updated country rankings once the department publishes its next annual breakdown. For the rules that govern who can be sponsored, see our family sponsorship immigration overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country sends the most family sponsorship immigrants to Canada?
India is the largest single source of family class permanent residents to Canada. IRCC admitted 31,425 Indian citizens through family reunification in 2024, which was 29.6 per cent of the 105,990 admissions in that category. The Philippines was second with 9,500 and China third with 8,320.
How many people did Canada admit through family sponsorship in 2024?
Canada admitted 105,990 permanent residents under the family reunification category in 2024, according to IRCC’s 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. That figure was 3.4 per cent lower than the 109,730 admitted in 2023. It includes sponsored spouses, partners and dependent children, sponsored parents and grandparents, and a small number of other sponsored relatives.
How is the family class split between spouses and parents?
In 2024, sponsored spouses, partners and dependent children accounted for 78,655 admissions and sponsored parents and grandparents for 27,330. That is roughly three-quarters and one-quarter of the category respectively. The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan keeps a similar shape, with targets of 69,000 and 15,000 for 2026.
Is the Parents and Grandparents Program still open?
No. IRCC paused intake of new Parents and Grandparents Program applications on 15 July 2026 and said it would not accept new interest to sponsor forms or issue invitations to apply until further notice. Applications already submitted continue to be processed, and IRCC still plans to approve up to 15,000 people through the programme in 2026.
Will family sponsorship numbers fall in 2026?
Yes, on current targets. The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets total family class admissions at 84,000 in 2026 and 81,000 in each of 2027 and 2028, against 105,990 actually admitted in 2024. The family class is still planned to represent between 21.3 and 22.1 per cent of all permanent resident admissions across the three years.