As per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Law in Canada, a foreign national who is interested in becoming a permanent resident must declare all his immediate family members. This includes a spouse, a common-law partner, and dependent children, even if those mentioned are not accompanying the principal applicant.
Therefore, failing to do so, means the sponsor is barred for life from sponsoring this non-accompanying family member. The reason behind this is, when the officials examine the applicant file and give their decision, it is based on the information provided beforehand. While a piece is missing, it might have rendered the applicant ineligible or inadmissible to Canada.
Therefore, on July 05, 2019, and in one of the attempts to ease the reunification of families, the Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship announced a pilot where, in specific cases, a person can sponsor undeclared family member. This person can be:
- a resettled refugee,
- a person conferred refugee protection in Canada, or
- a person who was sponsored as a spouse, partner or dependent child themselves.
This pilot start date is on September 09, 2019 and it will last for a 2-year period, ending on September 09, 2021. This public policy not just have a time limit, but it requires the applicants to still meet all eligibility requirements and to prove they are admissible to enter and remain in Canada.
Related Articles of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations:
- Paragraph 117(9)(d)
- Paragraph 125(1)(d)
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