CIMM - Humanitarian and Compassionate and Other Immigration - December 4, 2025

Key Messages

• The Government of Canada is matching immigration levels with Canada’s economic needs and capacity so that the system does better—for newcomers and everyone.
• This means we will be admitting fewer individuals under humanitarian pathways than in previous years, which has led to longer wait times for people in these pathways.
• We understand that long wait times lead to uncertainty for the vulnerable individuals who are waiting to become permanent residents in this category. Applicants may be eligible to extend their status and ability to work or study in Canada under regular and special temporary residence pathways.

Humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) and Other Immigration Levels 2026–2028

• Compared to the 2025–2027 Levels Plan, the 2026–2028 targets for H&C and Other are the same for 2026, with an increase for 2027, allowing for continued progress towards meeting the various commitments included in this category.
• This category is comprised mostly of in-Canada H&C applications and various special measures launched in response to global events, such as situations in Afghanistan, the Americas, Ukraine, and Sudan, or to provide facilitation to foreign nationals in exceptional circumstances, such as out-of-status construction workers and those formerly in the care of the child protection system.
• Modest admissions targets combined with high-demand mean that some vulnerable individuals who are already in Canada will remain without status or with temporary residence status for longer. Individuals waiting for a decision overseas will also be impacted.
• We continue to explore options for mitigating impacts to the extent possible, while returning to sustainable immigration levels.

Program Performance

• The performance of pathways in the H&C and Other category is measured by the number of admissions in the H&C and Other category each year.
• High demand for these pathways, combined with a reduction in admissions space, has resulted in increased inventory and significant wait time for clients, which are expected to persist.

If pressed on program results:

• In 2024, Canada exceeded its target for the H&C and Other category with a total of 19,355 admissions. The target was ≥13,750. This is in part due to public policies implemented over the past few years to address global crises and other Government of Canada priorities.
• The H&C and Other category has traditionally seen admissions under 5,000 persons per year. The significant increases seen since 2021 are primarily a result of public policies implemented to respond to global events.
• As of September 30, 2025, approximately 10,000 people have been admitted under this category this year, shared amongst various pathways.

If pressed on service standards:

• The H&C and Other category does not have a service standard, due in part to the unpredictable nature of global events and discretionary decision-making.

Processing Times

• Expected processing times vary between pathways. However, most new applicants in the H&C and Other category can expect to wait more than 10 years for a decision on their permanent residence application.
• Given that the number of applications is more than the number of available spaces, processing times are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future.
• The Department aligns its processing capacity with available admissions space in the Levels Plan. Allocating additional staff will not reduce processing times in the absence of additional admissions space.

If pressed on reallocating admissions space from other categories to address processing times:

• This year’s Levels Plan prioritizes economic immigration, as a result, wait times in all other categories have grown.
• Without higher admissions overall, reallocating admissions space from one category to another will not have a meaningful impact on processing times, and would displace applicants in other categories, including family reunification and resettlement.

In-Canada H&C Considerations

• Individuals who lack a viable path to permanent residence or are inadmissible may request permanent residence on H&C grounds from within Canada.
• We are seeing an increase in H&C requests, due in part to more individuals in Canada not having a clear pathway to permanent residence. This includes populations who have come to Canada and due to humanitarian and crisis situations being unable or unwilling to return home.
• H&C applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and decision-making is highly discretionary. It is not intended to be a regular pathway.

Key Facts and Figures

• As of September 30, 2025, there have been 1,300 persons admitted through in-Canada H&C^{Table Footnote 1} this year, and there are 67,500 persons in the inventory.

Special Measures (see Ukraine, Sudan, and Hong Kong notes for more details)

• A number of special measures are included in the H&C and Other category, most of which are now closed to new intake, including family-based pathways for persons from the Americas, Sudan, and Ukraine. Applications under these measures are still being processed.
• The Hong Kong Permanent Residence Pathways are open for applications until August 2026. Demand is high, leading to significant wait times.

Key Facts and Figures

• As of September 30, 2025, special measures for Hong Kong, Sudan and Ukraine account for 46% of the H&C and Other inventory.
• 8,700 individuals were admitted under these and other pathways between January 1, 2025 and September 30, 2025.

Ability to Work and Study During Processing

• We understand that applicants in the H&C and Other Category are concerned with longer processing times and those in Canada are worried about their legal status. Individuals may be eligible to apply for a work or study permit, if they meet the requirements for those programs.
• To ensure that Hong Kong Pathway applicants can maintain their status in Canada, a public policy was launched in
  May 2024 that facilitates access to open work permits while their permanent residence application is being processed. It expires in May 2029.
• Eligible applicants who arrived in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel prior to March 31, 2024, are able to apply in Canada for a study permit or open work permit until March 31, 2026, allowing them to continue to work and study.
• Applicants who apply for a new work permit before their current permit expires can continue to live and work in Canada while their work permit application is processed.
• Applicants for H&C in Canada may apply for a work or study permit once they receive a positive eligibility decision on their application and applicants who cannot be removed because they are subject to an Administrative Deferral of Removal or a Temporary Suspension of Removal are able to access a work or study permit sooner.