Quebec raises Canada family sponsorship cap to 15,700 undertakings through June

Quebec reopened its capped family sponsorship intake July 2, raising the ceiling to 15,700 undertakings through June 30, 2028, up from the 13,000-application cap that ran the prior two-year window.

From 13,000 to 15,700, with tighter sub-caps

The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration will accept a maximum of 15,700 sponsorship undertakings during the new intake period. The previous cap, in force from June 26, 2024 to June 25, 2026, held intake to 13,000 applications and was hit for spousal and adult-child files in mid-2025, freezing that stream until this month's reopening.

The new ceiling splits into two sub-caps:

• Up to 13,300 undertakings for a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner as the principal sponsored person.

• Up to 2,400 undertakings for parents, grandparents or other qualifying relatives listed by MIFI.

When either sub-cap fills, MIFI will stop accepting undertakings in that category for the remainder of the two-year window. Applications received after a cap is reached are returned and fees refunded.

Dependent children, orphaned minor relatives, children to be adopted and add-on requests for a spouse or child of someone already covered by an existing undertaking remain exempt from the cap and can be filed any time.

Who gets caught and what they must do

Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Quebec sponsoring a partner, parent or grandparent are the ones on the clock. Nomads and expats already in Quebec on visitor, worker or study status who planned to transition a partner to permanent residence through Quebec sponsorship now have to file inside the capped window and file early. The spousal sub-cap was exhausted well before the last intake ended, so anyone waiting on an IRCC eligibility letter should watch the running count and mail as soon as their federal paperwork lands.

MIFI requires postal filing only. In-person submission at ministry offices isn't permitted and each envelope must contain a single undertaking application using the official forms on Québec.ca. The IRCC eligibility letter or acknowledgement of receipt must be dated within the intake calendar; earlier letters make the undertaking ineligible and trigger a return.

Couples who miss the spousal sub-cap face the same fallback as during the 2025 pause: keeping the sponsored partner in Canada on temporary status while waiting for the next opening. Anyone weighing the province against other provincial routes can compare options in the Canada nomad guide.