Immigration options for victims of family violence

If someone is threatening or abusing you, get help right away. Please call 9-1-1 or your local police in an emergency.

• Do you currently live in Canada and are waiting for a decision on your permanent resident application?
• Are you facing family violence?
• Are you afraid to leave your abusive spouse or common-law partner for fear that you may lose your immigration status?
• Has your temporary status expired?

We can help protect you by giving you a special permit to stay in Canada. It’s called a temporary resident permit (TRP). It will give you legal immigration status in Canada. You can also get this permit for your children if they are in Canada.

In Canada, you do not have to testify against your abuser to get temporary resident status.

There is no fee for an initial TRP in cases of family violence. Depending on your situation, it's possible to apply for another TRP at the end of the initial period.

If you get a TRP, you can also get coverage for trauma counselling and health-care benefits. You may also apply for a fee-exempt work permit.

To get information about a TRP you can:

• contact our Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100 (TTY: 1-888-576-8502)
  • choose the option for victims of abuse and forced marriage to speak directly to an agent
• use a web form

To apply for a family violence TRP:

• fill out a paper application for a TRP
  • include supporting evidence about your situation/abuse
• send your application to our office closest to you
  • make sure you mark the outside envelope with “FV” to help us quickly identify your application

If you are a victim of family violence

• to speak to an agent about your immigration status
  • contact our Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100
  • they can tell you about your options
• call 2-1-1 to find community, social and health services
• find more services and information to deal with violence and abuse
• find more resources

Immigration officers at one of our offices will contact you to give you information about a temporary resident permit based on the evidence that you provided.

If needed, they will put you in contact with support groups that help victims of family violence.

Benefits of a TRP

You may need a TRP for any of these reasons:

• to escape the abuse of your spouse or common-law partner
• to give you time to decide whether you want to leave Canada or consider other immigration options
• to help make sure you are not separated from your children in Canada while you decide your next steps
• to earn a living without fear of family violence (using a work permit)

If you want to stay in Canada permanently

We’re speeding up the processing time for individuals in urgent situations of family violence who apply for permanent residence based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. This will reduce delays between the time we receive an application and when we make an eligibility decision. This means that we’ll process applications for these individuals faster, with the goal of removing them from abusive situations as quickly as possible.

You’re only eligible for an expedited eligibility decision if

• you’re experiencing family violence in Canada by a spouse or common-law partner, and
• you’re dependent on your abusive spouse or common-law partner to keep your status

Below are situations of family violence that meet the eligibility criteria. If one of these situations applies to you, you may be able to apply for permanent residence based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds:

1. You’re in Canada and seeking permanent residence that is dependent on staying in a genuine relationship with an abusive spouse or common-law partner. You’re dependent on staying in that abusive relationship to keep your status in Canada.
2. You’re a foreign national who can’t be assessed for permanent residence because your abusive sponsor has withdrawn their family class application.
3. You have been falsely told by an abusive spouse or common-law partner that they have submitted a family class application and it is in process, but in fact, they have not submitted an application.
4. You’re a temporary resident who wants to apply for permanent residence through a genuine relationship, but
   1. that relationship becomes abusive, and
   2. you may not yet have an application in process

Make sure you clearly describe your situation of family violence in your application.

How to apply

To apply for processing under family violence:

1. Choose the “FV – In Canada – Humanitarian and compassionate considerations” category when you apply online through the Permanent Residence Portal.
2. Write the letters “FV” on your application cover letter.
3. Email us at VancouverBro@cic.gc.ca. Make sure to
   • write the letters “FV” in the subject line
   • request “FV” processing and include your client account email address in the body of the email

If you’re in a situation of family violence and already have an application in process, you can tell us about it. We’ll consider it in processing your application. Contact the office that has your application, or contact our Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100.

Resources