Ottawa says it ended refugee residency sponsor exemption over ‘integrity concerns’

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Those family members could include children who were not born when the initial application was made. Advocates said the policy also was used by LGBTQ+ refugees to sponsor partners in countries where those relationships are criminalized.

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The policy was last extended in September 2023, following the memo to the minister, which also said there had been about 2,000 applications under the policy and about 90 per cent were approved.

All permanent resident applicants are required to provide a list of family members for security and medical screening purposes — even if they aren’t coming to Canada. Permanent residents are barred from sponsoring family members who were not initially listed.

In an email sent by an Immigration Department spokesperson Friday, after The Canadian Press first reported about the policy change, the government said exemptions can still be granted under humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The current wait time for humanitarian and compassionate applications is estimated at more than 10 years on the government’s online portal.

Refugee advocates were informed of the policy’s termination on Sept. 9 but were given no explanation.

The Canadian Council for Refugees sent a letter to Immigration Minister Lena Diab last week asking her to reverse the policy’s cancellation.

“Terminating this policy will have devastating consequences for (refugee families.) Children separated from one or both parents will suffer the most. We know this, because the evidence is clear that this is what happened before the policy came into effect,” Asma Faizi, Canadian Council for Refugees president, wrote in the letter to Diab.

The government spokesperson said the department will continue to monitor the effect of the change and encourages all permanent resident applicants “to declare their family members, which is the best way to prevent lengthy or permanent family separation.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press