Provision mainly benefited refugees, resettlement cases and those in family class category

Toronto: Canada has scrapped a seven-year-old temporary public immigration policy, effective September 10. Along with this, the special provision that allowed permanent residents (PRs) to later sponsor undeclared spouses, common-law partners, or dependent children after obtaining PR status has been discontinued. This will directly impact immigrant families who were planning to bring their undeclared family members to Canada at a later stage under this policy.

This change carries significant weight for Punjab. A large number of young Punjabis travel to Canada alone and plan to bring their families over once they obtain PR status. The earlier policy gave certain categories of PR holders the option to sponsor undeclared family members afterward. Now, for any new cases arising after September 10, 2026, this special pathway will no longer be available.

This provision was not available to all PR holders. It primarily applied to people who obtained PR through refugee status, resettlement programs, or asylum. Those who arrived in Canada under the family class category could also have been eligible. However, if a person had deliberately concealed information about a marriage or common-law relationship, they were not permitted to seek sponsorship under this policy.

Because of this special policy, a pathway to reunite with family at a later date was available in certain cases, but that relief has now ended. Young people applying for PR in Canada will now need to disclose complete information about their marriage, common-law relationship, and children right from the start. The end of this policy does not mean that Canada has stopped regular family sponsorship altogether. The rules and eligibility conditions for sponsorship under the standard family class category remain separate and continue to apply. This change relates only to the special public policy that allowed sponsorship of undeclared family members at a later stage.