Quebec Family Sponsorship Program 2026: After nearly a year of suspended intake, Quebec’s family sponsorship program is officially reopening. The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) has confirmed that new sponsorship undertaking applications will be accepted starting July 2, 2026, introducing a fresh two-year intake period and a 15,700-application cap that will run until June 30, 2028.
For thousands of Quebec residents who have been waiting to sponsor a spouse, partner, parent, or grandparent, this reopening represents the first real opportunity to move forward since the previous quota was exhausted in the summer of 2025. Here’s everything you need to know about eligibility, the new application cap, and the key dates that matter most.
Why Quebec Family Sponsorship Program 2026 Was Paused?
To understand why this reopening matters so much, it helps to know what came before it. Quebec first introduced a cap on family reunification undertaking applications in June 2024, setting a limit of 13,000 applications for the period running from June 26, 2024, to June 25, 2026. That cap was divided into two streams: a maximum of 10,400 applications for spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children aged 18 or older, and a separate maximum of 2,600 applications for parents, grandparents, and other eligible relatives.
Demand quickly outpaced supply. The spousal and partner category hit its 10,400-application limit by July 9, 2025 barely more than a year into the two-year window. The parent and grandparent category followed shortly after, reaching its cap by July 22, 2025. Once each cap was reached, MIFI stopped accepting new undertaking applications in that category entirely, returning any applications submitted afterward without processing and refunding the associated fees. For nearly a full year, Quebec residents hoping to sponsor a spouse, partner, or parent had no provincial pathway forward even if their loved one had already received approval from IRCC at the federal level.
What’s Changing: The New 15,700-Application Cap
Immigration Minister François Bonnardel announced that the new intake period will allow for a modest increase in overall capacity. Under the new structure:
| Sponsorship Category | New Cap (2026–2028) | Previous Cap (2024–2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Spouses, partners, and conjugal partners | 13,300 applications | 10,400 applications |
| Parents and grandparents | 2,400 applications | 2,600 applications |
| Total | 15,700 applications | 13,000 applications |
The new intake period runs from July 2, 2026, to June 30, 2028 a full two-year window, mirroring the structure of the previous cycle.
Adult Dependent Children Are No Longer Capped
One of the most significant changes in this reopening is that dependent children aged 18 or older will no longer count against the application cap at all. Under the previous system, adult dependent children were grouped together with spouses and partners under the same 10,400-application limit, effectively competing with spousal sponsorships for limited spots. Going forward, this category has been fully exempted, meaning more room within the spousal and partner cap for couples specifically.
Who Is Exempt From the Cap Entirely?
Beyond the new exemption for adult dependent children, several sponsorship categories remain permanently exempt from Quebec’s intake caps, regardless of which two-year period is in effect. These include:
- Dependent children under the age of 18
- Orphaned minor children of the sponsor’s relatives
- Minor children the sponsor intends to adopt
- Adult dependent children who are unmarried and dependent due to a physical or mental condition
- Requests to add a family member (such as a dependent child or spouse) to an existing, already-approved undertaking
If your sponsorship falls into one of these exempt categories, you can submit your application at any time, independent of the intake calendar or the 15,700-application ceiling.
How the New Priority System Works?
Rather than operating purely on a first-come, first-served basis, MIFI has structured the new intake to prioritize applicants who have been waiting the longest. This is a deliberate design choice intended to ensure that sponsors who were unable to submit an application during the previous cap period because their IRCC proof of eligibility or acknowledgement of receipt arrived too late get fair priority once the new window opens.
Critically, applicants can only submit their undertaking application during the intake period that corresponds to the date listed on their IRCC proof of eligibility or acknowledgement of receipt. This means the timing of your federal paperwork directly determines when you’re permitted to file with MIFI it isn’t simply a matter of submitting as early as possible on July 2.
How Quebec Family Sponsorship Actually Works?
Quebec operates a distinct two-stage sponsorship process that differs from how family sponsorship works in the rest of Canada. Sponsors and applicants need to satisfy both a provincial and a federal stage before permanent residence is finalized.
Stage 1: Federal Sponsorship Through IRCC
The sponsor first submits a federal sponsorship application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC continues to accept these federal applications from Quebec-based sponsors at any time, regardless of whether MIFI’s intake is open or closed. However, IRCC cannot grant final permanent residence approval without Quebec’s separate undertaking being completed.
Stage 2: The MIFI Undertaking Application
Once IRCC issues a proof of eligibility or acknowledgement of receipt, the sponsor must then submit a separate undertaking application directly to MIFI. Unlike the federal process — which is fully digital through the Permanent Residence Portal the MIFI undertaking application remains a paper-based process, submitted by mail to MIFI’s direction du regroupement familial in Montreal.
This paper-based system comes with a notable risk: if any required documents are missing, MIFI will return the entire application package by regular mail without prior notice. MIFI does not contact applicants to request missing items, nor does it accept declined credit card payments and simply wait for a correction the package is returned outright.
Stage 3: The Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ)
Sponsored family members settling in Quebec must also ultimately obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) a requirement unique to Quebec-bound applicants that does not apply to sponsorships destined for other provinces.
MIFI Application Fees in 2026
As of January 1, 2026, sponsors should budget for the following MIFI-specific fees, which are entirely separate from and paid independently of IRCC’s federal fees:
| Fee Category | Amount (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Primary sponsored person (e.g., spouse) | $335 |
| Each additional dependant included in the undertaking | $135 |
These fees are non-refundable, even if the undertaking application is ultimately refused. Sponsors should be careful not to combine MIFI fees with IRCC’s federal processing fees — the two payment streams are processed entirely separately, by different government bodies.
Why Couples Should Start Preparing Now, Before July 2
Immigration professionals are urging Quebec sponsors not to wait until the intake window opens to begin assembling documentation. Because the new cap is finite and demand is expected to be high, applicants who arrive with a complete application package — relationship evidence, sponsor financial documents, federal forms, police certificates, and the required provincial forms — are positioned to move through the queue far faster than those who begin gathering documents only after July 2.
Given that the previous spousal cap was exhausted in roughly 12 months out of a 24-month window, there is a reasonable possibility that the new 13,300-application spousal limit could once again be reached well before the full two-year period concludes.
What Happens If You Submit After the Cap Is Reached?
If the new cap of 15,700 applications is reached before June 30, 2028, MIFI has indicated it will follow the same approach used previously: any applications received after the limit is hit will be returned without processing, and the associated fees will be refunded to the applicant. No application beyond the cap will sit in a holding queue — it is returned outright, with the sponsor needing to wait for the next intake period to resubmit.
Key Dates at a Glance
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Previous intake period ends | June 25, 2026 |
| New intake period begins | July 2, 2026 |
| New intake period ends | June 30, 2028 |
| Previous spousal/partner cap reached | July 9, 2025 |
| Previous parent/grandparent cap reached | July 22, 2025 |
The reopening of Quebec’s Family Sponsorship Program on July 2, 2026, offers renewed hope for thousands of families who were left waiting after the previous cap was exhausted. With 13,300 spots reserved for spouses and partners and 2,400 spots for parents and grandparents, the math is more generous than before — but demand has historically outpaced supply within the first year of any intake period.
If you’re planning to sponsor a family member to Quebec, the smartest move is to begin organizing your federal IRCC application and supporting documentation immediately, ensure you understand whether your category is capped or exempt, and stay closely connected to MIFI’s official updates at immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca as the July 2 reopening approaches. For complex cases or category-specific questions, consulting a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or Quebec immigration lawyer can help ensure your application package is complete and ready the moment intake opens.
