IRCC releases details on a new temporary PR pathway for Haitians, Columbians, & Venezuelans.

First announced on October 10 last year, IRCC determined that it would create a new temporary pathway for Columbian, Haitian, & Venezuelan foreign nationals physically present in Central America, South America, Mexico, or the Caribbean at the time of application.

To be eligible for PR in Canada via this new pathway, applicants must have extended family connections in Canada. Particularly, IRCC clarifies that the principal applicant should be the child, grandchild, common-law partner, spouse, sibling, parent, or grandparent of the permanent resident or Canadian citizen. 

Moreover, it is vital to note that this public policy comes with a cap of 3,500 principal applicants, as Canada intends to aid 11,000 eligible applicants & their families through this pathway. IRCC states that since it began this pathway on November 17, 2023, it will remain open for one year.

Candidates admitted through this pathway will be eligible for pre & post-arrival settlement services & settlement assistance – including obtaining a transportation loan to help ease travel fees for individuals & families arriving in Canada. 

Eligibility Criteria 

IRCC releases details on a new temporary PR pathway. However, there are two sets of eligibility criteria for this temporary pathway: one for the anchor & one for the principal applicant seeking PR in Canada. 

The Principal Applicant’s Eligibility Criteria

Principal applicants seeking PR in Canada must: 

  • Be a Columbian, Haitian, or Venezuelan national present in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, or Mexico when they apply for PR.
  • Be in relation to a permanent resident or Canadian citizen who meets the requirements to act as an anchor.
  • Have submitted an application for PR by the electronic means made available on the department website or with an alternate application format provided by the department if the foreign national or their representative demonstrated that they cannot apply online.      
  • Intend to reside in any province/ territory across Canada other than Quebec.
  • Hold a document enumerated in subsection 50(1) of the Regulations or provide a document described in subsection 178(1) & 178 (2) of the Regulations.
  • Have provided IRCC with a statutory declaration from their anchor that testifies to the following: 
  • The anchor intends to provide the support set out in Annex B of the public policy for the principal applicant & their accompanying family members for one year.
  • The anchor has not accepted & understands they cannot accept any financial compensation from the foreign national or their family members.  

Note: Eligible applicants for this pathway must be related to a Canadian citizen/ permanent resident in one of the following ways, i.e., as a spouse or common-law partner, a child, a grandchild, a parent, a sibling, or a grandparent. 

Eligibility Criteria For Accompanying Family Members 

As IRCC releases details on a new temporary PR pathway, it has also outlined eligibility criteria for family members. Well, family members must: 

  • Be within the application for PR. Note that you have to list out all family members, whether they are accompanying or not. Candidates will further have the alternative to define which family members will be accompanying
  • Meet the legal definition of a family member as per IRCC
  • Intend to reside in a territory/ province in Canada other than Quebec
  • Hold a document enumerated in subsection 50(1) of the Regulations or provide document described in subsection 178(1) & 178(2) of the Regulations
  • Not be inadmissible to immigrate to Canada 

Acceptable Proof Of Canadian Status 

Citizenship: Proof of citizenship can include a photocopy of the anchor’s Canadian citizenship certificate or card, their Canadian birth certificate issued by relevant provincial/ territorial authorities, or the biodata page of their Canadian passport. 

Permanent Residency: Anchors can prove their PR status using a photocopy of a permanent resident card, a COPR, i.e., confirmation of permanent residence, or a record of landing. 

Note About Principal Applicants With Multiple PR Applications

According to IRCC, if an applicant already has an active application in the department’s Global Case Management System under another PR category, like family class, the application received under the new public policy will continue to be processed while coordinating finalizing with the office processing the other PR application. 

Final Decisions 

If a candidate is successful, an IRCC officer will confirm that all medical & criminality checks have been completed, along with confirming the validity of travel documents for the duration of time it will take to be admitted to Canada. From here, a PR visa & COPR will be generated for the principal applicant & all accompanying family members.