The Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Marc Miller, has introduced a new family-based immigration pathway for people affected by the conflict in Sudan to move to Canada.
This new humanitarian-based PR pathway is specifically for people, whether Sudanese or not, who were living in Sudan on or before April 15, 2023. This date marks the beginning of the Sudan conflict, and the new PR pathway allows family members to permanently join their loved ones in Canada.
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Eligiblity For This New Family-based Humanitarian Pathway
To be eligible for this new pathway, applicants must be the child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident residing in Canada.
It’s also necessary for the Canadian family member to agree to support and assist them as they start their new life in Canada.
More information about the application process will soon be available on the IRCC website.
These steps build upon existing temporary immigration policies for family members who arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023, due to the conflict in Sudan.
These measures also apply to Sudanese temporary residents in Canada who are unable to return home because of the situation there.
In addition to passing security checks, applicants must not have reasons that make them ineligible to enter Canada.
Existing Temporary Measures for Sudan Conflict
Apart from the newly announced measures, there were previous temporary actions taken by Canada for individuals affected by the Sudan conflict:
- Free extensions and status changes for Sudanese people in Canada.
- Waived application fees for temporary residence for foreign nationals leaving Sudan with Canadian relatives.
- Priority processing for applications from people still in Sudan for both temporary and permanent residence.
- No requirement for a passport or travel authorization for a permanent resident visa.
- No travel document fees for Canadians and permanent residents in Sudan leaving the country.
These temporary measures are applicable to family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents who left Sudan and arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023.
Additionally, the IRCC is giving priority to fully completed applications from Sudanese citizens for both temporary and permanent residency.
For Sudanese nationals in Canada, there are options available if they wish to apply for another temporary residence document or extend their current status until October 27, 2024.
Webform queries are also being prioritized by the IRCC if the keyword SD2023 is included at the end of the description when using the online web form.
