Quebec: One-year window of opportunity provision

(REF-OVS-7-4-2)

According to the Quebec One-Year Window of Opportunity (OYW) Program, in the case of a privately sponsored refugee, a sponsor’s obligations take effect at the time the principal applicant becomes a permanent resident. Therefore, when an OYW applicant joins their family in Canada, the sponsor is generally not legally responsible to provide financial and settlement services to the OYW applicant, unless the sponsorship is still in effect at the time of the OYW applicant’s arrival in Canada. If the sponsorship period has elapsed, the OYW applicant may be entitled to government assistance.

Process overview

1. The resettled permanent resident residing in Quebec submits to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) an Application to bring family members who are still abroad to Quebec. Quebec OYW requests submitted to an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office abroad or to the Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O) without prior assessment by the MIDI should be returned to the applicant. The application date received should be stamped by IRCC on the application before being returned to the applicant, as this date can later be used as the date received in the Global Case Management System (GCMS).
2. The MIDI succinctly evaluates the request and sends a decision letter to the applicant. If the request clearly does not meet the OYW criteria, the MIDI refuses it.
3. If the OYW request is approved by the MIDI, a CSQ is issued to the individuals listed in the application and a confirmation email is sent to ROC-O.
4. ROC-O contacts the resettled permanent resident in Canada, instructing them to submit the forms and documents required for the refugee family members overseas, that is, the Guide for Convention Refugees and Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad (IMM 6000).
5. Once the permanent residence application is received at ROC-O, it is assessed for completeness.
   • If the application is incomplete, a request indicating the missing items is sent by ROC-O to the resettled refugee in Canada.
   • If the OYW request is complete, it is then assigned to a ROC-O officer to assess it.
6. If the request is
   • refused by the ROC-O officer,
     • the officer sends their decision to the resettled refugee in Canada, the refugee overseas and the MIDI
   • approved by the ROC-O officer,
     • the officer sends an approval letter to the resettled refugee in Canada, the refugee overseas and the MIDI
     • the OYW application is electronically transferred to the IRCC office abroad
7. Upon confirmation of travel arrangements, ROC-O sends a Notification of Arrival Transmission (NAT). The MIDI, the sponsor (if their contact information is available in GCMS) and the principal applicant in Canada are included in the NAT.

Learn more

• MIDI client instructions on bringing your spouse or children to Quebec