Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published updated program delivery instructions for the family-based permanent residence pathway for people affected by the conflict in Sudan who have family members (anchors) in Canada. These internal instructions explain how officers should assess permanent residence applications made under the Updated temporary public policy to further facilitate permanent residence to certain foreign nationals affected by the conflict in Sudan with family in Canada.
Background: Humanitarian PR pathway for Sudan
The federal government originally created a family-based humanitarian pathway on February 27, 2024 for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals who were residing in Sudan when the conflict began on April 15, 2023 and who have qualifying family in Canada. That earlier policy accepted up to 3,250 applications into processing and has now been succeeded by a new updated public policy that continues the humanitarian effort and provides additional application spaces.
Under this approach, people directly affected by the conflict who have close relatives in Canada can apply for permanent residence in order to reunite with their family and rebuild their lives with settlement support from their anchor. The pathway is family-based and applies to both principal applicants outside Canada and certain applicants already inside Canada with valid temporary status.
New public policy period and caps
The Updated temporary public policy covered by these program delivery instructions took effect on February 16, 2025 and is scheduled to end on February 16, 2026, unless revoked earlier or application caps are reached. Under this policy, IRCC has committed to accept only a set number of complete applications into processing, and officers must stop intake when the cap is reached and return excess files.
Applications are divided into three groups, each with different intake rules and caps. Group 1 covers up to 1,200 complete applications plus any unused spaces from Group 3, Group 2 covers certain applicants whose previous files were returned over the cap and is uncapped if they apply within the deadline, and Group 3 has a maximum of 500 complete applications for principal applicants whose anchor resides in Quebec and who apply by April 17, 2025.
Who can apply under the updated Sudan public policy
General eligibility (all groups)
To qualify as a principal applicant from outside Canada, the person must:
- Be outside Canada at the time of application.
- Have been residing in Sudan on April 15, 2023, or show Sudan as their habitual residence on that date.
- Show there is no reasonable prospect of a durable solution in a country other than Canada or Sudan within a reasonable time (no viable repatriation, local integration or third‑country resettlement).
- Intend to live in a province or territory other than Quebec.
- Have identified a qualifying anchor in Canada who meets detailed conditions and financial requirements.
- Meet the relationship rules (for example child, grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling of the anchor, or the spouse/partner of a person in that category who is unable to leave Sudan, missing or deceased).
- Provide a statutory declaration from the anchor (and co‑signing spouse/partner if applicable) confirming support commitments and that they will not accept financial compensation from the applicant.
- Hold an acceptable identity or travel document under the Regulations, or provide alternative identity documentation and statutory declarations if they cannot obtain standard documents.
- Not be inadmissible to Canada, except that financial inadmissibility can be waived for eligible applicants.
Principal applicants inside Canada must have valid temporary resident status, be physically present in Canada when they apply and when permanent residence is granted, meet the same Sudan, durable solution and family relationship conditions (as applicable) and intend to live outside Quebec.
Group 2 and Group 3 specifics
Group 2 applicants are those whose earlier applications under the previous Sudan public policy were returned because the cap had been exceeded; they must receive an invitation to apply (ITA) under the updated policy and submit a complete application within 60 days. There is no numerical cap on Group 2, but an application submitted after the 60‑day window will be processed under Group 1 on a first‑in, first‑out basis and will count towards the Group 1 cap.
Group 3 applicants must meet all general criteria and have an anchor who resides in the province of Quebec, while still intending to settle outside Quebec themselves, and must submit their application within 60 days of the public policy coming into effect. Only 500 complete Group 3 applications can be accepted into processing, and any unused Group 3 spaces are reallocated to Group 1.
Intake and application process
All applications under this temporary public policy must be submitted through IRCC’s Permanent Residence Portal, unless the applicant is unable to use the portal and has been allowed to apply in an alternate format such as paper. The portal remained open for at least 60 days, until April 17, 2025, specifically to allow eligible Group 2 and Group 3 applicants to submit their files.
The Resettlement Operations Division (ROD) reviews applications for completeness, starting with Group 3 until the 500‑application cap or the 60‑day window is reached, then moves to Group 2 and finally to Group 1 on a chronological basis. The application is considered received on the date it is submitted in the portal or received by mail in approved alternate format, and multiple PR applications can run in parallel until one is approved and the other is withdrawn.
Minimum documents and fees
To be accepted for processing, an application must meet minimum completeness requirements, including:
- Generic Application Form for Canada IMM 0008 fully completed and signed by the principal applicant.
- Schedule A – Background/Declaration IMM 5669 for the principal applicant and all family members aged 18 or older, with explanations where a non‑accompanying family member’s form cannot be provided.
- Additional Family Information IMM 5406 for the principal applicant and all family members aged 18 or older.
- Schedule 1 – IMM 0207 for the principal applicant.
- Details of Military Service IMM 5546 for the principal applicant and family members 18 or older, where applicable.
- Copies of all pages of passports or identity documents or statutory declarations allowed under R178.
- Proof of residence in Sudan on April 15, 2023 (for the principal applicant).
- Proof of relationship to the anchor and to family members.
- One photo of the principal applicant and each family member.
Applicants must pay the applicable processing fees online but are exempt from the biometrics fee and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) under this public policy. Processing fees are currently set at 635 CAD for the principal applicant, 635 CAD for a spouse or common‑law partner and 175 CAD for each dependent child.
Proving residence in Sudan and lack of durable solution
Officers must be satisfied that the principal applicant was residing in Sudan on April 15, 2023 or that Sudan was their habitual residence on that date, taking into account that displaced people may have limited documentation. Acceptable evidence may include passport pages with entry/exit stamps, bank statements showing transactions in Sudan around the date, UNHCR or other refugee registration documents and other open‑source or GCMS information.
In addition, applicants must show there is no reasonable prospect of a durable solution such as voluntary repatriation to Sudan, permanent local integration in the country of refuge or resettlement to another country. Officers are instructed to review Schedule 1 declarations, GCMS records and any other available information to assess whether another durable solution is realistically available.
Relationship to the Canadian anchor
The principal applicant must have a qualifying relationship to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident anchor and must provide both supporting documents and a statutory declaration IMM 0208 from the anchor. Acceptable relationships include being a child (any age), grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling (including half‑siblings) of the anchor, or being the spouse or common‑law partner of a deceased, missing or trapped person who would have qualified as one of those relatives.
Because many applicants fled with limited records, officers are told to be flexible and may accept alternate evidence such as affidavits when official birth, marriage or death certificates are not available. Where needed, officers can also refer to immigration history in GCMS or previous applications, or conduct interviews, to verify that family members meet the definition of family in subsection 13 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Family members and conditions
The principal applicant must list all family members inside and outside Canada in their PR application, whether they are accompanying or not, and then choose which relatives to include as accompanying. Accompanying family members must either be outside Canada when the application is submitted or be in Canada with valid temporary resident status, and must intend to live outside Quebec and meet admissibility requirements (excluding financial inadmissibility, which is waived).
If family composition changes during processing, for example through the birth of a child or a marriage, the principal applicant must notify IRCC before permanent residence is granted so that the new family member can be added, fees paid and medical and background checks completed. Officers are instructed not to finalize the application until all accompanying family members have met the requirements and any extra fees have been paid.
Exemptions under the public policy
This updated Sudan public policy allows certain exemptions from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and Regulations to make processing possible in a humanitarian context. Specifically, eligible principal applicants outside Canada and eligible family members (inside and outside Canada) may be exempted from financial inadmissibility under section 39 and from the requirement to hold a passport or travel document under paragraph 50(1)(a).
For non‑accompanying family members abroad, officers may also exempt the requirement to undergo a medical exam under paragraph 16(2)(b) when processing the principal applicant’s permanent residence application. However, applicants and accompanying family members must still satisfy all other eligibility and admissibility rules, including security, serious criminality and medical inadmissibility for excessive demand.
Anchor eligibility and financial requirements
Basic eligibility of an anchor
Anchors must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents aged 18 or older, residing in Canada, and not subject to a removal order or detention. They must not be in default of any immigration loans, sponsorship undertakings or court‑ordered support obligations, must not be undischarged bankrupts, and must not be receiving social assistance for reasons other than disability.
Anchors also must not have been convicted in Canada or abroad of certain serious offences within the last five years, unless a pardon or record suspension has been granted or there has been a final acquittal. They must confirm in the statutory declaration that they have not accepted and will not accept financial compensation from the foreign national or their family members.
Proving status and residence
Acceptable proof of permanent resident status includes a copy of a PR card, Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) or Record of Landing (IMM 1000). For Canadian citizens, acceptable proof includes a citizenship certificate or card, a Canadian birth certificate or the bio‑data page of a Canadian passport.
To prove residence in Canada, anchors can provide provincial or territorial identification such as a driver’s licence or health card, or other government‑issued documents that clearly show their province or territory of residence. The statutory declaration must also attest to the anchor’s residence in Canada.
Financial capacity options (MNI/MNF/combination)
Anchors must show they have adequate financial capacity using one of three options: Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), Minimum Necessary Funds (MNF) or a combination of income and funds. Family size for this calculation includes the anchor, their spouse/partner, their dependent children (and their dependants), persons they are still financially responsible for under other undertakings and all principal applicants and accompanying family members they are supporting under this policy.
Under Option A (MNI), the anchor’s total income for the most recent tax year, based on the Canada Revenue Agency Notice of Assessment, must meet or exceed the required income level for the total family size. For example, the table in the instructions lists 36,576 CAD for 2 persons, 44,966 CAD for 3 persons, 54,594 CAD for 4 persons, 61,920 CAD for 5 persons, 69,834 CAD for 6 persons and 77,750 CAD for 7 persons, with 7,916 CAD added for each additional person.
Under Option B (MNF), the anchor must hold a specified amount in an in‑trust account with a Canadian financial institution that will be accessible to the applicant after they become permanent residents. Required funds range from 9,900 CAD for one person to 22,650 CAD for six people, with 1,900 CAD added per additional person, and the anchor must provide documentary proof such as bank statements confirming the in‑trust balance.
Under Option C, anchors can combine income and funds; their income plus total funds must be at least equal to the MNI threshold for the total family size. The instructions give worked examples, including a case where an anchor with 60,000 CAD in income and 20,000 CAD in an in‑trust account can support a family size of seven because the combined 80,000 CAD exceeds the 77,750 CAD MNI for seven persons.
Medical exams and IFHP health coverage
Applicants and all accompanying family members must undergo an immigration medical examination (IME) in line with standard permanent residence rules, and they are not exempt from the excessive demand provisions. However, under this public policy, principal applicants may be exempt from requiring non‑accompanying family members abroad to complete IMEs, since those relatives are not being processed to come to Canada as part of the application.
Applicants processed overseas under this pathway are eligible for pre‑departure medical services and three months of coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) upon arrival in Canada, including coverage of IME costs. Applicants processed inside Canada are eligible for three months of IFHP coverage upon confirmation of permanent residence, and their IME costs are also covered.
Transportation loans and travel to Canada
Principal applicants and accompanying dependants can access a transportation loan through the Immigration Loans Program (ILP) to cover travel costs from overseas to their final destination in Canada, including International Organization for Migration (IOM) travel booking assistance fees and related expenses. For this public policy, the usual ILP assessment of need and ability to repay is waived in recognition of the humanitarian nature of the program and the support the anchor will provide after arrival.
The IOM is responsible for counselling applicants on the terms and conditions of the transportation loan and facilitating signatures on the IMM 0502 loan form, which must be fully signed and uploaded into GCMS. Applicants who choose to pay their own travel costs can still use IOM’s travel booking services in some countries, but those who avoid IOM’s assistance cannot obtain an ILP transportation loan.
Key takeaways for potential applicants and anchors
For people affected by the conflict in Sudan, this updated family‑based permanent residence pathway offers another opportunity to reunite with family in Canada under a time‑limited humanitarian program. Success depends on meeting tight deadlines, providing evidence of residence in Sudan and lack of durable solutions, and ensuring the Canadian anchor meets all eligibility and financial requirements laid out in the instructions.
Families considering this pathway should pay close attention to the definitions of family members, the income and funds thresholds and the requirement to intend to live outside Quebec even when the anchor lives in Quebec. Because this is a capped, time‑limited policy ending February 16, 2026, eligible families are encouraged to prepare complete applications as early as possible before the intake caps are reached.