The general rule is that people who want to live in Canada as permanent residents are to apply for and obtain an immigrant visa before entering into the country. Yet exemption to the law may be granted to people who fall into situations such as the following:
i. refugee applicants who have exhausted their legal recourses for consideration as Convention refugees;
ii. spouses of permanent residents or citizens of Canada who are legally or illegally in the country;
iii. illegal residents who are considered de facto (by fact), but not de jure (legal) residents by reason of long presence in the country due to circumstances beyond their control; are self-supporting, not fallen foul of the law, have severed ties with their home countries and relatives there, have given birth to Canadian citizen(s), etc;
iv. family members, especially spouses, who are in abusive relationships and may be compelled to remain in the relationship in order to obtain or maintain their legal status;
v. breakdown of a marriage relationship between sponsor and spouse before the spouse is granted landed status;
vi. if dependent children of Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Dependent children could be de facto family members who are not related by blood by attached on emotional, financial and other grounds;
vii. former Canadian citizens, etc.
Other requirements are:
i. passing an immigration medical examination;
ii. passing criminal and security clearances; and
iii. possessing a valid passport or travel document.
Residents of Quebec will have to apply for a Certificat de selection du Quebec (CSQ) if they do not have a close relative to sponsor the application. This will be done after the person has initially applied for the humanitarian and compassionate consideration and has been accepted at the federal level.
The procedure for applying is to fill out a form and have us help you write a letter of support to attachment to your documents. You will also need letters of support from relatives, friends, organisations you begin to, etc. Please fill out the free assessment form below for us to assess your chances of success.
FREE ASSESSMENT