Canada’s 2025 Parents and Grandparents Intake: Random Draw from 2020 Pool, 17,860 Invites for 10,000 Spots

Canada has updated its internal instructions for how officers handle the 2025 intake of Parents and Grandparents (PGP) sponsorship applications, confirming that selections will again come from the same pool of “Interest to Sponsor” forms submitted in 2020 and that only invited sponsors can apply by a strict October 9, 2025 deadline. The program will use a randomized selection model under new Ministerial Instructions (MI85), with 17,860 invitations going out to achieve a target of 10,000 new complete PGP applications accepted into processing in 2025.

Program model for the 2025 PGP intake

For 2025, IRCC is not opening a new Interest to Sponsor (ITS) form; instead, it will again select sponsors from the ITS forms submitted between October 13 and November 3, 2020. Applicants who did not get an invitation in 2020–2024 remain in a randomized list and may be picked for the 2025 intake. The 2025 intake is governed by updated Program Delivery Instructions (PDIs), while older intakes continue to be processed under their own intake‑year PDIs.

New Ministerial Instructions MI85 authorize IRCC to accept up to 25,000 complete PGP applications for processing in the 2025 calendar year, which includes remaining files from the 2024 intake plus 10,000 new complete applications from the 2025 intake. This ensures IRCC can manage inventory against overall family‑class targets in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

Randomized selection and invitations

IRCC uses a randomized selection process, as set out in MI85, to choose who will be invited from the 2020 ITS master list. For 2025:

IRCC will send 17,860 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to potential sponsors from the remaining 2020 pool.
The goal is to end up with 10,000 complete applications accepted into processing, acknowledging that some invitees will not apply or will submit incomplete files.

Selection is done from the already randomized list of 2020 forms. An agent in the Family Immigration Operations Branch (HIOB, formerly Centralized Network) uploads selected email addresses into a bulk email system, which sends ITA letters by email. If an email bounces, IRCC prints and mails the ITA to the mailing address given in the 2020 ITS form.

Invitees get at least 60 days from the date on the ITA letter to submit both the sponsorship and permanent residence applications, and all 2025 intake applications must be received by IRCC by October 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. ITAs are non‑transferable and strictly tied to the identified sponsor.

During the original 2020 ITS window, potential sponsors had three weeks to signal interest via an online form and upload a copy of a status‑in‑Canada document. Those who successfully submitted received:

An on‑screen, computer‑generated confirmation number; and
An automatic email with the same confirmation number.

Alternate formats were technically available (with pre‑generated confirmation numbers), but IRCC notes that no alternate format ITS submissions were received in 2020. If a form failed to transmit, the website showed an error message and no confirmation number.

Status‑in‑Canada documents that could be uploaded included:

PR card (both sides), IMM 1000, IMM 5292/5688
Citizenship certificate/card, Canadian or Quebec birth certificate
Passport ID page, or Secure Certificate of Indian Status.

The document did not need to be valid in 2020, but the same document (or updated equivalent) must be re‑submitted with the full sponsorship package, along with explanations where information has changed. For non‑Canadian passport holders, they must now be permanent residents at application stage and include both their foreign passport and a Canadian status document.

Email changes, lost confirmation numbers and communications

Sponsors who no longer have access to the email address used in 2020 can use the “Sponsor your parents and grandparents: Find your lost confirmation number” page after ITAs are sent. Through this page they can:

Provide and confirm a new email address to receive communications;
Retrieve their confirmation number; and
Get an electronic copy of their ITA letter, if they were selected.

This tool does not change the email in the original ITS record or in any future application; changes of email, address, or name must be detailed and supported in the sponsorship application itself.

How and when applications must be submitted

To be accepted into processing:

The joint sponsorship + permanent residence package must be received by IRCC by the deadline in the ITA (no later than October 9, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET).
The sponsor must be someone who submitted a 2020 ITS form and was selected for a 2025 ITA (no exceptions).

By default, applications must be submitted online:

Sponsors apply via the Permanent Residence Portal.
Paid representatives submit through the Representative Permanent Residence Portal (including when they act at no charge).

If the sponsor, applicant or representative cannot apply online and needs accommodation (e.g., disability), they can request an alternate‑format package (paper, braille, large print) by emailing IRCC at the PGP‑specific ALT request address listed in the instructions. IRCC responds with a “cover letter” authorizing alternate format, and either:

Sends links for printing paper forms; or
Mails braille/large print packages within Canada.

Alternate format applications must be mailed back by the same overall deadline (October 9, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET). The cover letter should be included but the file will not be rejected solely for its absence, as officers can verify authorization in GCDocs. Any alternate‑format applications sent without IRCC authorization may be rejected, because electronic filing is mandatory unless exemption is granted.

The cover letter details must match the sponsor name and confirmation number on the ITA; mismatches require explanations, and completely mismatched records can lead to rejection.

Intake, validation and “first in, first out” processing

Once the Family Immigration Operations Division (FIOD, formerly CPC‑Mississauga) receives an application (online or approved alternate format), officers check:

The application was received by the ITA deadline.
The sponsor was invited to apply and the file details match the 2020 ITS data.
Completeness under IRPR sections 10 and 11 and the Ministerial Instructions (correct forms, signatures, fees, documents).

IRCC continues to process PGP files on a “first in, first out” basis, so new 2025 intake files join the queue behind existing inventory, not ahead of older applications. This is meant to preserve fairness between intake years while still allowing new invitations.

The Peregrine validation tool

To confirm that an application truly comes from an invited 2020 ITS sponsor, officers use an internal tool called “Peregrine,” which stores all 2020 ITS data. Using the barcode on the ITA letter submitted with the application, an HIOB agent pulls the linked 2020 record and compares:

Name, date of birth, address, country of birth
Status document number and other identifiers.

Three outcomes are possible:

Exact match – passes validation.
Partial match – officer reviews explanations and evidence; may request more info within 30 days.
No similar entry – validation fails and the application is not accepted; IRCC records the decision in GCMS and returns the application with an explanatory letter.

Any discrepancy between the 2020 ITS data and the current application must be explained and documented; otherwise, the file risks failing validation even if it arrived on time and is otherwise complete.

What this means for sponsors and practitioners

For sponsors:

No new ITS form in 2025 – only those in the 2020 pool can be selected.
Check your email (and physical mail) for ITAs through 2025, especially if you submitted in 2020 and were never invited.
If invited, prepare to file within 60 days and before October 9, 2025, and use the same status document that you uploaded in 2020, plus explanations for any changes.

For representatives and practitioners:

Track whether clients have confirmation numbers from 2020 and whether they have been previously invited.
Build workflows around the PR Portal and Representative Portal, with contingency plans for alternate formats in disability or accommodation cases.
Expect strict validation: even small data mismatches across 2020 forms and 2025 applications need clear, documented explanations to avoid rejection at intake.

IRCC’s 2025 PGP intake design keeps the program tightly controlled, balancing political pressure for family reunification with hard caps, a randomized draw model and rigorous front‑end validation to protect processing capacity and overall immigration targets.