Guide 0209 and Checklist – Application for Permanent Residence 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

Apply online using the Permanent Residence Portal

Use our online immigration application(opens in a new tab)  to apply for this pathway.

Table of contents

• Overview
• Before you apply
• Who may use this application?
• Eligibility requirements
• Admissibility requirements
• Step 1. Gather documents
• Step 2. Complete the application
• Step 3. Fees
• Step 4. Submit your application
• What happens next
• Need help?
• Appendix A – Checklist

Overview

Application package

This application package has:

• an instruction guide, and
• a document checklist, and
• the forms you need to fill out.

The instruction guide:

• has information you must know before you submit your application, and
• explains how to fill out the forms and gather your supporting documents.

Read the instruction guide completely and then fill out each of the applicable forms.

The forms are designed with questions that will help the processing of your application.

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Symbols used in this guide

This guide uses these symbols to draw your attention to important information:

Before you apply

Overview of the program

On February 27, 2024, the Government of Canada introduced a permanent residence pathway for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals affected by the conflict in Sudan that began on April 15, 2023, so they could reunite on a permanent basis with their family in Canada. This measure expired on June 13, 2024, following the acceptance of 3,250 applications into processing.

As a result of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, the Updated Temporary public policy to further facilitate permanent residence to certain foreign nationals affected by the conflict in Sudan with family in Canada will continue to provide a humanitarian pathway to permanent residence for foreign nationals who have family in Canada so that they can find safe haven and build their lives in Canada with support for their settlement and integration.

Applicants will be able to apply as of February 25, 2025 subject to the processing caps set out below. The public policy will end 1 year after coming into effect.

Group One - 1,200 complete applications plus the remaining spaces from Group Three.

Group Two - Principal applicants who had an application returned in excess of the cap under the previous public policy. Eligible applicants will be contacted by IRCC and will need to apply by April 17, 2025.

Group Three - A maximum of 500 complete applications for principal applicants whose Anchor resides in the province of Quebec and who apply by April 17, 2025.

Do not apply if you do not meet the eligibility criteria, as your application will be refused and your processing fees will not be returned.

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Who may use this application?

You may apply through the Updated Temporary public policy to further facilitate permanent residence to certain foreign nationals affected by the conflict in Sudan with family in Canada if you meet the eligibility requirements and plan to settle permanently in Canada, outside the province of Quebec. Your in-Canada family member (anchor) signing the statutory declaration must reside in Canada.

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Who can be included as family members?

Your family members include your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children and any dependent children of your dependent children.

Additional information about spouses, common-law partners or dependent children is below.

You must declare and include on your forms all family members at the time you submit your application, including any non-accompanying dependents. Failing to declare a family member may result in the refusal of your application and they may not be able to come with you to Canada now or later. Every family member, whether accompanying to Canada or not, must be listed on the Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008).

What is the difference between an accompanying family member and a non-accompanying family member?

Accompanying family member: A family member who plans to come to Canada at the same time as the principal applicant.

Non-accompanying family member: A family member who has been separated from the family and is not able to, or chooses not to, accompany the principal applicant to Canada when the application was processed.

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Eligibility Requirements

Principal applicant

Option A – Principal applicant is the person affected by the conflict in Sudan and is the child (regardless of age), grandchild, parent, grandparent, or sibling of an anchor who is a citizen of permanent resident of Canada.

Option B – Principal applicant is the spouse or common-law partner of a person affected by the conflict in Sudan who meets one of the relationships with a Canadian anchor under option A.

Under both options, you, the principal applicant, must meet the minimum requirements outlined below:

1. You were residing in Sudan on April 15, 2023;
2. You are (or your spouse or common-law partner for option B is) a person in respect of whom there is no reasonable prospect, within a reasonable period, of a durable solution in a country other than Canada or Sudan, namely:
   1. voluntary repatriation or resettlement in their country of nationality or habitual residence, OR
   2. resettlement or an offer of resettlement in another country;
3. You intend to reside in a province or territory other than the province of Quebec;
4. If you apply from inside Canada, you must:
   • Have valid temporary resident status in Canada, or have applied to restore your status if it has been expired for less than 90 days;
   • Be in Canada when:
     • You submit your application; and
     • You are granted permanent residence.
5. You must have identified a family member (or a family member of your spouse or common-law partner in Canada, identified as an anchor in this guide and on forms) who meets the requirements to act as an anchor under this public policy
6. You hold a passport or travel document, or provide supporting identity documents if you don’t hold one; and
7. You meet admissibility requirements (medical, criminality, security).

Anchor

Your anchor in Canada must provide you with a statutory declaration form (IMM 0208) (opens in a new tab) that will confirm the following:

1. Their relationship with you.
2. They are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who are 18 years of age or older.
3. They reside in Canada.
4. They meet the financial requirement as described under Option A, B or C of the Section J of the IMM 0208 guide.
5. They are not subject to a removal order.
6. They are not detained in any penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison.
7. They have not been convicted in Canada of the offence of murder or an offence set out in Schedule I or II to the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, regardless of whether it was prosecuted by indictment, if a period of five years has not elapsed since the completion of the person’s sentence.
8. They have not been convicted outside Canada of an offence if committed in Canada, would constitute an offence referred to in condition 7 if a period of five years has not elapsed since the completion of the person's sentence imposed under a foreign law.
9. They are not in default in respect of the repayment of any immigration loan, a performance bond or any other amounts you agreed to pay under Canadian immigration legislation, and have not made arrangement to defer payments.
10. They are not in default of any sponsorship undertaking or any support payment obligations ordered or registered with a court.
11. They are not in receipt of social assistance for a reason other than disability.
12. They have not accepted, and understand they are not to accept, any financial compensation from the foreign national and their accompanying family members.
13. They have completed the Statutory Declaration form (IMM 0208).
14. They have provided a proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence.

Reminder: The principal applicant ( foreign national) MUST be one of the following person to you:

1. Your child, grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling
2. The spouse or common-law partner of the foreign national indicated in A, who is missing, presumed dead or deceased

Admissibility Requirements

Medical requirements

You do not need to complete a medical exam before you apply. We will contact you with instructions about completing medical exams for you and your family after you submit your application.  Your accompanying family members must complete medical exams. You do not need to pay for the medical exam. We will provide you details about how this cost will be covered by the Interim Federal Health Program.

Biometric

Fingerprints and photo requirements

You and your family members over the age of 14 may need to appear in person to have fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) taken at a biometric collection service point.

Find out if you need to give biometrics.

If you have to give biometrics, you can give them after you:

• get a Biometric Instruction Letter (BIL) which will direct you to a list of biometric collection service points you may choose from.

You must bring the BIL with you to the biometric collection service point to give your biometrics.

We encourage you to give your biometrics as soon as possible after getting the BIL. We will start processing your application only after we receive your biometrics.

Where to give your biometrics

You need to book an appointment to give your biometrics at one of these official biometric collection service points. Wait until you receive your BIL instruction letter before booking an appointment.

Using a representative

If you want to appoint someone to do business with us on your behalf, you must

• Download a Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (opens in a new tab) or Authority to release personal information to a designated individual form [IMM 5475] (opens in a new tab) – which ever applies
• Complete it
• Sign it digitally or by hand and get your immigration representative or designated individual to do so also
• Upload it with your application

Note: If a paid representative is submitting your application online on your behalf, they must sign in to their Representative Portal account to do so. You, as the Principal Applicant, need to electronically sign your application and your representative must also provide their declaration before submitting the application.

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Step 1. Gather documents

For an application to be considered complete, the principal applicant must fill out the forms listed below and must submit them all together in the Permanent Residence Online Application Portal for the principal applicant and each of the dependants. Incomplete applications will be returned. The forms are designed with questions that will help with the processing of your application.

Important information: If you cannot provide one or more documents required on the document checklist, you must provide a written explanation for each missing document so your application is not delayed in processing or returned to you as incomplete. You must also provide any other evidence or documents you have available to satisfy the requirement. Upload them as the document type that was asked for.

A complete application includes:

• All the information requested on the online forms
• All PDF forms completed by the principal applicant, and
• All requested supporting documents:
  • Uploaded as the document type that we requested

See the document checklist at the end of this document to assist you in gathering the necessary documentation. If you do not included all the required documents, your application will be returned to you.

Note: Additional documents may be required during the processing of your application.

Step 2. Complete the Application

Follow the instructions below to complete the application.

Sign in or create an account in our Permanent Residence Portal(opens in a new tab) 

Click on each applicable form’s name to access it, then follow the instructions to complete it. Some forms must be filled as a digital form, others are PDFs that you will have to upload. As the principal applicant, you will electronically sign for the entire application, including those of your family members.

Digital forms

You must fill out these digital forms online (you do not need to complete the PDF versions of these forms):

• Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008) - you must fill out this form for yourself and include all your family members (whether accompanying you in Canada or not).

  Get the instructions  (opens in a new tab)

• Schedule A – Background/Declaration (IMM 5669)

  Get the instructions  (opens in a new tab)

• Additional Family Information (IMM 5406)

  Get the instructions  (opens in a new tab)

PDF forms

You must also fill out this PDF form:

• Schedule 1 (IMM 0207) (opens in a new tab)
• Details Of Military Service (IMM 5546) (opens in a new tab)

Your anchor in Canada must fill out and sign this PDF form:

• Statutory Declaration of the anchor (IMM 0208) (opens in a new tab)

Complete and sign these forms, if they apply to you

These forms need to be filled out, printed and then signed by hand by the principal applicant and the third party. Upload the forms to your account.

• Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union (IMM 5409) (opens in a new tab) , if applicable
• Declaration from non-accompanying parent/guardian for minors immigrating to Canada (IMM 5604) (opens in a new tab) , if applicable

Technical issues

If you’re having technical issues applying, contact us using the web form

• Under type of application/enquiry, choose technical difficulties from the drop-down menu
• In the text box, specify the program you’re applying under and code ‘SD2023’
• Upload screenshots from your account that show us
  • the page where you’re having problems
  • the error message(s) you get.

If you need to upload a number of images, find out how to combine them into 1 document.

If you want to appoint someone to do business with us on your behalf, you must submit:

• Use of Representative (IMM 5476) (opens in a new tab)

If you want to allow us to release information from your application to anyone else (other than a representative), you must submit:

• Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (IMM 5475) (opens in a new tab)

Important information: It is a serious offence to give false or misleading information on these forms. The information you provide on your application may be subject to verification.

Be complete and accurate

Complete all sections on the forms. If a section does not apply to you, write “Not Applicable” or “NA”.

If you need more space for any section, include an additional page containing the appropriate section, complete it and upload it with your application. For the document type, choose “other.”

Uploading additional documents to your online application

To submit supporting documentation with your online application select “Other” from the drop-down menu (Document type) and upload your documents or other additional information which can be in any of the following formats: PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOC, and DOCX.

Signatures

If signatures are missing (when this applies), we will return the application by email without processing it.

As the principal applicant, you will electronically sign for the entire application, including your family members by typing your full name exactly as it is shown on your passport.

Note:

• Remember to check for signature requirements and sign when needed, either by hand or electronically. If forms are not signed in the correct places, and by the correct people, we will return your application without processing it.

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Follow the step-by-step instructions below to complete the application forms.

Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)

Get the instructions  (opens in a new tab)

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Step 3. Fees

Your fees include:

• Processing fees for you and anyone you include on your application for permanent residence

You do not have to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee and biometric fees.

How to pay the fees for your application

To pay your fees for your application, you’ll need:

• a valid email address;
• a credit card, Debit MasterCard® or Visa® Debit card.

Follow these instructions to pay your fees online.

 Do not exit without printing or saving the receipt! The receipt is your proof of payment!

• At the end, click on the “Save” button to save a PDF copy of the IRCC official receipt.

  While completing your application in the portal, a link to the payment tool outside the portal will allow you to make your payment. Once the payment process is completed, you will need to return to the portal and upload the PDF receipt in the payment section.

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Payment Issues

No fee included or insufficient fees

If you do not pay the full fees for your application(s), we will return your application(s). We will only start processing your application after you return it with the correct fees.

Ask for a refund

If your application was returned as incomplete, you may be eligible for a refund of your fees paid. Please note that IRCC will not automatically refund your fees. Please consult : Ask for a refund (canada.ca)

Step 4. Submit your application

Now that you have prepared your application, you can submit it for processing.

• If you don’t have one already, you must first create an account in the Permanent Residence portal. Note that once an account is created, the email address of the account cannot be changed.
• After login, in the Select the permanent residence program page:
  • Under Program under which you are applying, select Other.
  • Under Category under which you are applying, select Permanent Residence Pathway - Sudan.
• Follow instructions in the portal.

  •  Reminder: Before filling out the digital forms (IMM 0008, IMM 5669, IMM 5406), ensure every family member, whether accompanying you to Canada or not, is listed in the My Profile section of the online portal.

    Here is a screenshot of the portal where you can enter this information under My Profile (bottom of page):

    
    Text version: Spouse, partner or dependant(s) profiles

    You can create/edit profiles for your spouse, partner, or dependant(s) in this section who are applying for permanent residence. Their basic information will then be automatically filled in for most digital forms.

    Add dependant button

• To help make sure the application can be processed as quickly as possible:
  • Answer all questions;
  • Ensure all PDF forms are signed;
  • Ensure all required and supporting documents have been uploaded.
  • Electronically sign your application (type your full name exactly as shown on your passport).
• After you click on Submit your application, you will receive an automatic email notification confirming your submission, which should be retained for your records. This email does not confirm that the application is complete nor does it include the application number. The status of the application in the portal dashboard will show as Submitted.
  •  If there is any missing information, form or document, your application may be returned to you. In the event that your application is returned and the program closes in the interim, you will not be able to re-submit.
  • To avoid this situation, consult the document checklist at the bottom of this guide while preparing your application in the portal to ensure all forms and documents are included.

Important:

• Before uploading documents in the portal, use this naming convention to label your documents: "Last Name - First Name – Document type - #." For example: "Wong - John - Proof of Education -1."
• If applicable, ensure the name of the appropriate person appears in the label. For example, for a picture of your child, you should include the name of that child in the file name.
• Accepted file types are: PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOC, and DOCX
• Accepted file size: File size should be 4 MB maximum
• Ensure photos meet the requirements and are 420x540 pixels minimum (4 MB maximum file size).
• Accepted characters for file names: File names can only contain the following characters: "A-Z" "a-z" "0-9" "-" "_" ".".
• Accented characters are not accepted.
• In the “Additional Supporting Documents” section:
  • When uploading the translation of a document, the description “Translation and Affidavit” should not be selected. We recommended selecting the description of the document that fits best (e.g. Birth certificate, etc.) regardless of whether it is a copy of the original or the translated document. Both the original and the translation may be combined in one PDF.
  • Select ‘Police report’ for criminal record checks
  • Select ‘Identity and Civil Status Documents’ for Canadian photo ID, etc.
  • Select ‘Other’ for documents that support information found on the Schedule A form.
  • Select ‘Letter of Explanation’ for any additional narrative information

What Happens Next

The application process

Submission

After you submit your application, we will review it to make sure it is complete. If your application is missing any of the requested documents, it will be returned to you. Failure to provide supporting documents in certain circumstances may result in the refusal of your application.

Acknowledgment of receipt

If your application is complete, it will be placed into processing. An email will be sent:

• To notify you and provide you with your IRCC file number;
• To set out some basic instructions for contact with the IRCC office processing your file;
• To give you a brief outline of future processing steps.

What you can do to help processing

There are certain things you can do to help make sure your application is processed as fast as possible:

• Submit all documents and information we have asked for with your application
• Provide your biometrics as soon as possible (if required)
• Tell us, using the Web form and include ‘SD2023’ in the text box if there are any changes, including:
  • New email, address, phone number, etc.
  • Decision to withdraw your application
  • If the family composition increases (marriage, birth of a child, etc.)

If the family composition increases (marriage, birth of a child, etc.)

Things that delay processing

The following may delay processing:

• Unclear scans or photocopies of documents;
• Verification of your information and documents;
• A medical condition that may need more tests or consultations;
• A criminal or security problem;
• Your family situation is not clear (this could include a divorce, an adoption that is not complete or child custody issues that have not been resolved);
• Consultation is needed with other offices in Canada and abroad.

Withdrawing the application

If you wish to withdraw your application, you must do so in writing. Make sure to indicate your UCI, application number, family name and first name on all correspondence with us. You must send your request using the Web form and include ‘SD2023’ in the text box.

Protecting your information

Your personal information is:

• Available to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employees who need to see it to provide the services to you;
• Transmitted to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) if you choose to use their services; and
• Not disclosed to other organizations except as permitted under the provisions of the Privacy Act or the Citizenship Regulations.

For more information about the protection of your data, visit the Frequently Asked Questions/Help Centre.

If you need Portal specific help visit: Apply online using the Permanent Residence Portal.

Appendix A - Checklist

If you do not follow this checklist, your application may be returned to you as incomplete.

 Important: If your application is missing any of the mandatory forms or documents listed in this checklist, it will be returned to you. In the event that your application is returned and the program closes in the interim, you will not be able to re-submit.

• All PDF forms must be signed. When you sign these documents, you are certifying that all information provided therein, whether prepared by you or not, is complete and true in all respects.
• If you cannot provide one or more document(s) required by this checklist, you must upload a written explanation for each missing document. Upload documents as the document type that was asked for.
• Submit any optional form under the “Additional Application Forms” section by typing the form number in the search box.
• Submit any additional information under the “Additional Supporting Documents” section, selecting the document name as “Letter of explanation” in your online application.

Combining multiple documents

Forms – anchor (and co-anchor if applicable)

Documents - anchor (and co-anchor if applicable)

Forms – principal applicant and family members

Documents - principal applicant and family members