Permanent Residents can apply to become permanent residents on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. These types of applications are typically reserved for individuals who would not normally be eligible for permanent residency in Canada.
Factors that they consider are:
- How settled the person is in Canada
- General family ties to Canada
- The best interests of any children involved, and
- That could happen to you if we do not grant the request.
An individual cannot apply under humanitarian and compassionate grounds if they have a pending refugee claim or if their refugee claim was denied. In the latter case, they must wait 12 months before applying under H&C, however exceptions do apply, for example if they have children under 18 years of age who would be adversely affected if they were removed from the country or if their dependent suffers from a life-threatening medical condition.