Canada announces new measures for extended families of Afghan interpreters

Ottawa, November 24, 2021— The Government of Canada remains committed to bringing as many vulnerable Afghans as possible to safety. As part of our continued work to support Afghan refugees, we are introducing a new pathway for the extended family members of Afghan interpreters who immigrated under previous measures.

In 2009 and 2012, the Government of Canada introduced special measures for Afghan nationals who served as local staff, such as interpreters, in direct support of Canada’s combat mission in Kandahar.

These measures provided individuals and their immediate family members with a pathway to permanent residence in Canada. They were put in place in recognition of the risk Afghans took to support Canada’s work in their country.

While some of their extended family members may have come to Canada through existing programs over the years, others have not and may now be in a precarious position as a result of their relationship to the interpreters.

To help ensure that these families can come to Canada, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is introducing a new pathway to permanent residence for extended family members of those who previously came under the 2009 and 2012 policies.

To be eligible, the extended family member must:

• be an Afghan national
• be outside Canada at the time of their application
• have been in Afghanistan on or after July 22, 2021
• be an extended family member—defined as a child (regardless of age), grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling—of an individual who was previously granted permanent residence as a principal applicant under the 2009 or 2012 public policies
• provide a statutory declaration from a former interpreter who was previously granted permanent residence under one of the public policies in order to confirm their relationship
• hold a travel or identity document or, if that cannot be obtained, provide a statutory declaration attesting to the applicant’s identity
• submit their application using the forms that will be made available online for this program

Additional information regarding the process will be available on the IRCC website in advance of the opening of the application process on December 9. Applicants are encouraged to start gathering their documents before this date.

In addition to these new measures, we continue to prioritize applications of Afghan nationals who are in the process of sponsoring their immediate family members overseas, and dependents of protected persons abroad.