Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the suspension of accepting new applications for the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program (PGP). This decision was made to maintain the immigration system, which is described as 'well-managed and sustainable.'
According to IRCC, interest in the PGP continues to exceed the available number of spots. Consequently, no new expressions of interest will be accepted, and no new invitations for applications will be issued until further notice.
The Ministry clarified that the analysis of existing processes is ongoing. It is planned to approve up to 15,000 people for permanent residency under this program by 2026, aligning with the Immigration Levels Plan for 2026–2028.
Currently, approximately 60,500 applications are under review, with an average processing time of about 33 months, which can reach 66 months in the province of Quebec.
The PGP was launched in 2020 when over 200,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents expressed a desire to sponsor one of their parents or grandparents for permanent residency in Canada. Since then, the Government has annually sent invitations to selected candidates from this initial group to formally submit sponsorship requests.
The announced suspension does not change the goal set in the Government's immigration plan, which is to accept up to 15,000 parents and grandparents in 2027 through existing processes. The immigration plan published in autumn 2025 provides for the entry of 380,000 permanent residents annually between 2026 and 2028, and it has also reduced targets for temporary residents, including international students and workers.
According to government data, approximately 112,900 people received permanent residency in Canada between January and April of this year through various immigration programs.
The immigration department continues to face significant delays in document processing. As of April 30, over 2.1 million applications were under review, more than 922,000 of which exceeded the standard processing times set by the ministry itself.
Nevertheless, Canadian citizens and permanent residents can utilize the 'super visa,' which allows parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five years on a single entry and make multiple trips within a maximum period of 10 years. IRCC also reminded that this visa regime was recently simplified due to changes in income and medical insurance requirements.
State policy in the field of food security pays special attention to ensuring the population with food products. In this regard, the active development of the livestock industry, the introduction of modern and innovative methods, and the stimulation of enterprises specializing in this area are extremely relevant tasks.
During his visit to Namangan region on June 23, the President familiarized himself with the activities of the 'Namangan Sheep Farming Cluster' in Turakurgan district. The President emphasized the significance of this enterprise for the development of animal husbandry, ensuring the domestic market with quality meat, and increasing employment, and gave an instruction for its popularization.
This project became possible due to the broad opportunities established in the President's decree of January 29, 2020, 'On additional measures to support the livestock industry.' Within the cluster, modern logistics services, veterinary and service branches, as well as retail points for direct product sales will be created, which will ensure the formation of a complete and continuous cluster chain.
Utilizing the extensive opportunities and benefits provided for livestock farming in the country, LLC 'Namangan Sheep Farming Cluster' was founded in 2026 in the village of Kumidon, Turakurgan district, under the leadership of livestock breeder Ayzamjon Usmonov on a 10-hectare plot. The cluster, with a total value of 35 million dollars, began stable operation with the goal of realizing a noble intention—supplying people's tables with affordable and high-quality meat.
This large three-stage project initially included work on building and equipping five hectares of land, and plans for the same area are planned in the near future. Currently, more than one hundred employees in the cluster take care of over 1500 animals according to modern requirements. It is planned to acclimatize the 'Arashan', 'Hisor', and 'Adelbay' breeds, imported from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic, which have high productivity, to the local climate. By the end of the year, the number of jobs should reach 280, and the livestock population should reach 50 thousand heads.
According to the entrepreneur, during the meeting with the President, it was instructed to transform the cluster into a holding company. Thus, the task has been set to increase the livestock population to 300 thousand heads by the end of 2027. Thanks to the introduction of modern breeding technologies and a scientific approach in the cluster, there is an opportunity to significantly increase both the volume and quality of meat production.
According to the project's technological indicators, by intensive rearing of sheep weighing 40-50 kilograms, imported from abroad, over three months, their weight can be increased to 100 kilograms, which will allow for up to 60-70 kilograms of pure meat from each sheep. As a result, productivity will exceed traditional livestock farming by 45-50 percent, and after the full launch of the project, the production of 35-40 thousand tons of high-quality meat will be ensured annually in the Namangan region.
The head of the 'Namangan Sheep Farming Cluster', MChZh Ayzamjon Usmonov, noted that the current price of beef is 130 thousand sums per kilogram, and mutton is 160 thousand sums. The goal is to reduce these prices by 20 percent. For this, 40 meat stores are open in the region, and in the future, meat will be supplied to markets across the country. Additionally, starting next year, the production of 50 thousand tons of organic fertilizers is planned with the involvement of advanced industries, and 200 thousand tons of feed.
In conclusion, within the cluster structure, modern logistics services, veterinary and service units, as well as retail points for direct product sales will be created, which will lead to the formation of a complete and uninterrupted cluster chain.
Mandela Day serves as a powerful reminder of the power of kindness, but the question arises about what happens after this day concludes. The article's author insists that companies need to maintain engagement with communities year-round, rather than limiting themselves to one-off events.
Every July, Mandela Day emphasizes that even the smallest act of kindness can change a situation. In South Africa, businesses actively participate on this day: employees volunteer, donations are collected, and communities unite for a common goal. This day often highlights the best human qualities.
However, after the 67 minutes pass and advertising banners are taken down, an important question remains about future actions. The author, who holds the position of Brand Manager at PURA Beverage Co., notes that the strongest brands are remembered not because of a single campaign, but because of the values they demonstrate consistently, even after the promotional activity ends.
The author believes that Mandela Day should not be a singular event or a formality in the corporate calendar. It is meant to inspire a mindset where service, compassion, and responsibility become part of daily life. Business should approach community work similarly, as consumers have become much more attentive to companies' actions.
People evaluate not only companies' statements but also their consistent actions: how they treat employees, the communities where they operate, the small businesses they support, and the decisions made away from public view. A company's purpose should not remain just in a presentation or annual report; it must be evident in daily decisions.
The author stresses that significant impact is rarely achieved through a single event; it is built over months and years through relationship building, stability, and presence, even when there are no cameras or hashtags. The most valuable examples of community support, in the author's opinion, come not from large campaigns, but from quietly choosing local suppliers, supporting grassroots initiatives, and helping schools and sports clubs, simply because it is right.
Most people can distinguish between a brand that genuinely cares about its surroundings and one whose community involvement only appears because of Mandela Day or another scheduled event. Authenticity is hard to imitate because consistency is difficult to fake. Brands that earn loyalty continue to appear in people's lives, making the community part of their essence, not just a marketing strategy.
Community should not be viewed as a transaction boiled down to counting volunteer hours or measuring generosity through social media. It is important to recognize that any successful business exists thanks to the support of people, and with this success comes the obligation to positively influence the communities that made that success possible. Business leaders should ask deeper questions: instead of asking what is being done for Mandela Day, they should ask what is being done in August, October, or February, how opportunities are created, and how today's decisions will affect the future.
Nelson Mandela's legacy was built not on symbolic moments, but on decades of selflessness, courage, and unwavering belief that change happens when people continue to support each other. For business, this is the main lesson: the task is not to find 67 minutes a year, but to find ways to benefit in the remaining 364 days, because community is not a campaign, but a responsibility.
The Cuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has arrived in exile in the United States, welcomed by a crowd composed of friends and human rights activists. He managed to obtain a visa to travel to the US after years in prison.
Otero Alcántara's case reinforces allegations that the Cuban regime uses exile as a condition for releasing dissidents. Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who is 38 years old, gained notoriety in 2020 as the leader of the San Isidro Movement, a protest group made up of intellectuals and artists. He was detained in 2021 and subsequently sentenced to five years in prison the following year.
Shortly after his arrival in the US, Otero Alcántara went to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity, an important landmark of the Cuban exile community in Miami. There, he performed by restoring a broken statue of Cuba's patron saint, symbolizing the reconstruction of his country. He commented that there are now tools to guide people to understand the concepts of freedom and to take to the streets for these reasons, rather than for basic issues like electricity or oil.
Shortly after the dissident's arrival, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Havana to release more than 700 political prisoners. Amnesty International classified both Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel «Osorbo» Castillo, who was convicted in the same hearing to nine years, as 'prisoners of conscience.' However, the Government and the Communist Party accuse them of acting on behalf of Washington with the intent to destabilize the country.
Otero's departure occurs during a period of growing tensions between Cuba and the United States. In early July, during a debate at the United Nations General Assembly on American sanctions, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz displayed a portrait of the dissident to denounce the lack of freedom of expression on the island. Data from the U.S. Department of State and human rights organizations indicate that more than 700,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Cuba.
Another dissident figure, José Daniel Ferrer, 55, who was serving a sentence in Cuba, also went into exile in the United States last October. These departures confirm the tactic of the Cuban Government to neutralize critical voices through exile, which further weakens the dissident movement, already weakened by repression and unable to capitalize on popular discontent with the severe economic and social crisis affecting the island of 9.6 million inhabitants.
In addition to the embargo, Cuba faces an oil blockade imposed by Washington, which harms its economic, energy, and social activities. A series of sanctions against companies has also drastically reduced the inflow of foreign currency. U.S. President Donald Trump considers the island, located 150 kilometers off the coast of Florida, an 'extraordinary threat' to the national security of the United States.
