A special public policy that has provided certain permanent residents—who were unable to sponsor family members such as spouses or children because they did not declare them at the time of their Canadian permanent residence application—with an exceptional opportunity to sponsor those family members is scheduled to end on September 10, 2026. As Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not yet announced whether this policy will be extended further, the time remaining is critical for those who meet the eligibility criteria.
Under Canadian immigration law, when applying for permanent residence, you must declare all family members—including spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children—regardless of whether they are actually entering Canada with you. Declared family members must undergo medical examinations, background checks, and security screenings as required, and the principal applicant’s eligibility for permanent residence is also assessed as part of this process. The issue arises when a spouse or child was not declared at the time of the original permanent resident application. Under sections 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), family members who were not declared and assessed at that time may be excluded from future family sponsorship, effectively preventing the sponsor from sponsoring those family members for the rest of their lives.
While these regulations were established to ensure that family relationships are accurately disclosed during the immigration application process and to maintain transparency in the assessment, concerns regarding fairness have been raised for a long time. In particular, a key issue highlighted is that even children—who had no say in their parents’ permanent resident application process—could be permanently excluded from future family sponsorship simply because their parents failed to declare them at the time. In response, IRCC first introduced a public policy in September 2019 exempting certain applicants from the existing regulations, and implemented a second policy in 2021 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy currently in effect took effect on September 10, 2023. It maintains the same basic eligibility requirements as the previous policy and applies to relevant family sponsorship applications received by IRCC between May 31, 2019, and September 10, 2026.
However, not all permanent residents are eligible for this special policy simply because they did not declare their family members when they originally applied for permanent residency. First, the family members to be sponsored must be a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child. Additionally, the path through which the sponsoring permanent resident obtained their Canadian permanent residency is a key eligibility criterion.
There are four main categories of applicants eligible for this policy. These include cases where permanent residency was obtained through Canada’s resettlement program as a Convention Refugee or under similar status; cases where permanent residency was obtained after being recognized as a Protected Person through Canada’s refugee and protection system; cases where the applicant obtained permanent residency in the past by being sponsored as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child; and cases where permanent residency was obtained through the Spouse or Common-Law Partner Sponsorship Program in Canada. IRCC granted exceptions primarily for these categories because, in many cases, even if it was revealed that an undisclosed family member existed at the time, the impact on the principal applicant’s original permanent resident approval was relatively limited.
Conversely, if the principal applicant would not have been eligible for permanent residency had they accurately declared their family relationships at the time, they are not eligible for the benefits of this special policy. For example, if you obtained permanent residency through a family sponsorship as the spouse of another person but were actually married to or in a common-law relationship with someone else at the time—a relationship you did not declare—you cannot take advantage of this policy. You are also excluded if you obtained a green card as a dependent child on your parents’ application but were already in a marriage or common-law relationship at the time. In other words, this policy provides an exception for situations where family members were not reported under specific circumstances; it does not extend to situations where the original eligibility requirements for a green card were not met in the first place.
Furthermore, the application of this policy does not mean that other eligibility requirements for family sponsorship are waived. General admission requirements—such as criminal history, security concerns, or medical grounds for inadmissibility—that are not specifically exempted under this special policy remain in effect. Therefore, being eligible for this special policy means that applicants may receive an exception to the rule that previously excluded them from family sponsorship due to having unreported family members; it does not mean that a family sponsorship application for permanent residency will be automatically approved.
The application process does not require the use of a separate special application form. Eligible sponsors should submit their applications through the standard family sponsorship process for spouses, partners, or children, and an IRCC officer will determine during the review process whether this special public policy applies. Currently, applications to sponsor spouses, partners, and children must, in principle, be submitted online through the Permanent Residence Portal; alternative submission methods may be permitted only in cases where special accommodations have been approved.
The most important point to note here is that it is not necessary to receive permanent residence approval by September 10, 2026; rather, IRCC must receive eligible applications by that date. If an application has already been submitted and is under review, it may still be eligible for this policy even if the final result is not issued by the policy’s end date. IRCC has stated that applications already received and under review at the time the policy ends will continue to be processed in accordance with this public policy even after the policy ends. Ultimately, under this policy, the date the application is received is the key factor, rather than the date of final approval.
This is all the more important given that processing times for family sponsorship applications are currently quite long. As of 2026, processing times for spousal sponsorship applications—excluding those for Quebec—are approximately 17 months for applications filed from abroad and approximately 27 months for those filed within Canada, meaning that even if you apply now, the final decision may not be reached until 2027 or 2028. However, if an application is submitted properly by September 10 and meets the eligibility criteria for the special policy, the exception will not be revoked simply because the review process extends beyond the policy’s expiration date.
This policy also presents an opportunity for those whose previous applications to sponsor undeclared family members were denied to review their cases again. In particular, if your family sponsorship application was denied on the grounds of having undeclared family members prior to May 31, 2019—before the current special policy was first implemented—you may submit a new application provided you meet the eligibility criteria of the current policy. However, an automatic re-evaluation does not occur simply because a previous application was denied; you must submit a new application, which must also be received by IRCC by September 10, 2026.
You must also verify the fees and regional procedures. The standard government fees applicable to family sponsorship must still be paid, and as of April 30, 2026, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee for eligible applicants has increased to $600. This fee does not apply to dependent children. Additionally, sponsors residing in Quebec must complete the Quebec provincial government’s Sponsorship Undertaking process separately from the federal family sponsorship process; this federal special policy does not exempt applicants from Quebec’s specific requirements.
The reason the September 10 deadline is particularly important is that a further extension has not yet been guaranteed. Although this policy has been extended twice since it was first implemented in 2019, IRCC has not yet officially announced whether it will reinstate the policy for a fourth time or extend the current policy beyond September 10, 2026. IRCC has stated that, while implementing the current policy, it is collecting data on applicants utilizing this exception and reviewing the possibility of future amendments to immigration regulations. While there is a possibility that the relevant regulations themselves may be amended in the future, conversely, if no separate regulatory amendments or new public policies are introduced, the existing restrictions on family sponsorship for undeclared family members may once again apply as of September 11, 2026.
Therefore, if you or a family member failed to declare a spouse or child when applying for Canadian permanent residency in the past, you should first verify whether you qualify for the permanent residency pathway outlined in this special policy. Next, you must carefully review the family relationships at the time of your previous permanent resident application and the current relationships with the family members you intend to sponsor, and verify the original permanent resident application and related records. Especially for older applications, it is safer to base your assessment on the actual application records rather than relying solely on memory regarding what was reported at the time.
Above all, with the deadline fast approaching, preparing a complete application is just as important as submitting it promptly. If your application is returned because required documents are missing or your eligibility was not properly verified, you may not have enough time to resubmit it before September 10. Since the application of the policy may vary depending on your past family relationships, the path to obtaining permanent residency, and whether you declared family members at the time, it is essential to have your eligibility thoroughly reviewed before applying if your situation is unclear.
This special policy is not so much a major overhaul of the general family-based immigration system as it is an exception that has been available on a limited basis to certain permanent residents who, for a long time, were unable to sponsor family members due to relatives who were not disclosed during their original permanent residency application process. This opportunity, which has been in place since 2019, is scheduled to end on September 10, and at this time, applicants should not plan on the assumption that it will be extended further. For those who qualify, the most important thing right now is not to wait and see if the policy will be extended again, but to first verify your eligibility and, if necessary, submit a complete application before the deadline. Since this is a matter where the opportunity to sponsor family members again may be closed for a long time, you must be sure to keep the date of September 10 in mind.
A special public policy that has provided certain permanent residents—who were unable to sponsor family members such as spouses or children because they did not declare them at the time of their Canadian permanent residence application—with an exceptional opportunity to sponsor those family members is scheduled to end on September 10, 2026. As Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not yet announced whether this policy will be extended further, the time remaining is critical for those who meet the eligibility criteria.
Under Canadian immigration law, when applying for permanent residence, you must declare all family members—including spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children—regardless of whether they are actually entering Canada with you. Declared family members must undergo medical examinations, background checks, and security screenings as required, and the principal applicant’s eligibility for permanent residence is also assessed as part of this process. The issue arises when a spouse or child was not declared at the time of the original permanent resident application. Under sections 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), family members who were not declared and assessed at that time may be excluded from future family sponsorship, effectively preventing the sponsor from sponsoring those family members for the rest of their lives.
While these regulations were established to ensure that family relationships are accurately disclosed during the immigration application process and to maintain transparency in the assessment, concerns regarding fairness have been raised for a long time. In particular, a key issue highlighted is that even children—who had no say in their parents’ permanent resident application process—could be permanently excluded from future family sponsorship simply because their parents failed to declare them at the time. In response, IRCC first introduced a public policy in September 2019 exempting certain applicants from the existing regulations, and implemented a second policy in 2021 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy currently in effect took effect on September 10, 2023. It maintains the same basic eligibility requirements as the previous policy and applies to relevant family sponsorship applications received by IRCC between May 31, 2019, and September 10, 2026.
However, not all permanent residents are eligible for this special policy simply because they did not declare their family members when they originally applied for permanent residency. First, the family members to be sponsored must be a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child. Additionally, the path through which the sponsoring permanent resident obtained their Canadian permanent residency is a key eligibility criterion.
There are four main categories of applicants eligible for this policy. These include cases where permanent residency was obtained through Canada’s resettlement program as a Convention Refugee or under similar status; cases where permanent residency was obtained after being recognized as a Protected Person through Canada’s refugee and protection system; cases where the applicant obtained permanent residency in the past by being sponsored as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child; and cases where permanent residency was obtained through the Spouse or Common-Law Partner Sponsorship Program in Canada. IRCC granted exceptions primarily for these categories because, in many cases, even if it was revealed that an undisclosed family member existed at the time, the impact on the principal applicant’s original permanent resident approval was relatively limited.
Conversely, if the principal applicant would not have been eligible for permanent residency had they accurately declared their family relationships at the time, they are not eligible for the benefits of this special policy. For example, if you obtained permanent residency through a family sponsorship as the spouse of another person but were actually married to or in a common-law relationship with someone else at the time—a relationship you did not declare—you cannot take advantage of this policy. You are also excluded if you obtained a green card as a dependent child on your parents’ application but were already in a marriage or common-law relationship at the time. In other words, this policy provides an exception for situations where family members were not reported under specific circumstances; it does not extend to situations where the original eligibility requirements for a green card were not met in the first place.
Furthermore, the application of this policy does not mean that other eligibility requirements for family sponsorship are waived. General admission requirements—such as criminal history, security concerns, or medical grounds for inadmissibility—that are not specifically exempted under this special policy remain in effect. Therefore, being eligible for this special policy means that applicants may receive an exception to the rule that previously excluded them from family sponsorship due to having unreported family members; it does not mean that a family sponsorship application for permanent residency will be automatically approved.
The application process does not require the use of a separate special application form. Eligible sponsors should submit their applications through the standard family sponsorship process for spouses, partners, or children, and an IRCC officer will determine during the review process whether this special public policy applies. Currently, applications to sponsor spouses, partners, and children must, in principle, be submitted online through the Permanent Residence Portal; alternative submission methods may be permitted only in cases where special accommodations have been approved.
The most important point to note here is that it is not necessary to receive permanent residence approval by September 10, 2026; rather, IRCC must receive eligible applications by that date. If an application has already been submitted and is under review, it may still be eligible for this policy even if the final result is not issued by the policy’s end date. IRCC has stated that applications already received and under review at the time the policy ends will continue to be processed in accordance with this public policy even after the policy ends. Ultimately, under this policy, the date the application is received is the key factor, rather than the date of final approval.
This is all the more important given that processing times for family sponsorship applications are currently quite long. As of 2026, processing times for spousal sponsorship applications—excluding those for Quebec—are approximately 17 months for applications filed from abroad and approximately 27 months for those filed within Canada, meaning that even if you apply now, the final decision may not be reached until 2027 or 2028. However, if an application is submitted properly by September 10 and meets the eligibility criteria for the special policy, the exception will not be revoked simply because the review process extends beyond the policy’s expiration date.
This policy also presents an opportunity for those whose previous applications to sponsor undeclared family members were denied to review their cases again. In particular, if your family sponsorship application was denied on the grounds of having undeclared family members prior to May 31, 2019—before the current special policy was first implemented—you may submit a new application provided you meet the eligibility criteria of the current policy. However, an automatic re-evaluation does not occur simply because a previous application was denied; you must submit a new application, which must also be received by IRCC by September 10, 2026.
You must also verify the fees and regional procedures. The standard government fees applicable to family sponsorship must still be paid, and as of April 30, 2026, the Right of Permanent Residence Fee for eligible applicants has increased to $600. This fee does not apply to dependent children. Additionally, sponsors residing in Quebec must complete the Quebec provincial government’s Sponsorship Undertaking process separately from the federal family sponsorship process; this federal special policy does not exempt applicants from Quebec’s specific requirements.
The reason the September 10 deadline is particularly important is that a further extension has not yet been guaranteed. Although this policy has been extended twice since it was first implemented in 2019, IRCC has not yet officially announced whether it will reinstate the policy for a fourth time or extend the current policy beyond September 10, 2026. IRCC has stated that, while implementing the current policy, it is collecting data on applicants utilizing this exception and reviewing the possibility of future amendments to immigration regulations. While there is a possibility that the relevant regulations themselves may be amended in the future, conversely, if no separate regulatory amendments or new public policies are introduced, the existing restrictions on family sponsorship for undeclared family members may once again apply as of September 11, 2026.
Therefore, if you or a family member failed to declare a spouse or child when applying for Canadian permanent residency in the past, you should first verify whether you qualify for the permanent residency pathway outlined in this special policy. Next, you must carefully review the family relationships at the time of your previous permanent resident application and the current relationships with the family members you intend to sponsor, and verify the original permanent resident application and related records. Especially for older applications, it is safer to base your assessment on the actual application records rather than relying solely on memory regarding what was reported at the time.
Above all, with the deadline fast approaching, preparing a complete application is just as important as submitting it promptly. If your application is returned because required documents are missing or your eligibility was not properly verified, you may not have enough time to resubmit it before September 10. Since the application of the policy may vary depending on your past family relationships, the path to obtaining permanent residency, and whether you declared family members at the time, it is essential to have your eligibility thoroughly reviewed before applying if your situation is unclear.
This special policy is not so much a major overhaul of the general family-based immigration system as it is an exception that has been available on a limited basis to certain permanent residents who, for a long time, were unable to sponsor family members due to relatives who were not disclosed during their original permanent residency application process. This opportunity, which has been in place since 2019, is scheduled to end on September 10, and at this time, applicants should not plan on the assumption that it will be extended further. For those who qualify, the most important thing right now is not to wait and see if the policy will be extended again, but to first verify your eligibility and, if necessary, submit a complete application before the deadline. Since this is a matter where the opportunity to sponsor family members again may be closed for a long time, you must be sure to keep the date of September 10 in mind.