It’s only mid-August 2025 but many Canadian citizens and permanent residents are already looking ahead to 2026 to see if they’ll be fortunate enough to be invited by the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to sponsor their parents or grandparents (PGP) for Canadian permanent residence. The 2025 sponsorship intake process has just concluded following a two-week period during which IRCC sent invitations to eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their loved ones. IRCC began sending invitations out on July 28, 2025 and, unfortunately, those who did not receive one this year will have to try their luck next year or consider alternative immigration options to achieve their goals of reuniting in Canada. In this blog, I will provide a brief history of the PGP sponsorship program and explain what the alternative options are.