CIMM – Humanitarian and Compassionate and Other Category – November 25, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

• The Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) and Other Category includes: permanent resident (PR) admissions with H&C considerations, specific public policies (including Afghanistan, the Americas, Hong Kong, Out-of-Status Construction Workers, Sudan, and Ukraine), and the permit holder class.
• Admission targets under this category increased between 2019 and 2023, with a slight reduction for 2024. The 2025-2027 Levels Plan has an overall reduction under this category:

Key Messages

• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan reduces H&C and Other category targets to stabilize overall immigration levels and better manage migration programs.
• Global events make it difficult to predict long-term targets for this category.
• Under this category, our focus remains on family reunification, economic growth, and humanitarian response.

In-Canada H&C

• Individuals who don't meet the Act or Regulation requirements can apply for in-Canada H&C. These applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and if successful will be granted permanent residence.
• As of November 19, 2024, processing times for in-Canada H&C applications are 49 months for Quebec and 20 months for the rest of Canada. Quebec sets its own admissions targets for this category.
• From January 2020 to October 31, 2024:
  • over 27,500 individuals in Canada were approved on H&C grounds
  • almost 21,300 were refused, with an approval rate of 56%.
• As of November 19, 2024, there were almost 45,000 H&C applications in the In-Canada inventory.

Americas – Family-based Humanitarian Pathway – target of 11,000 admissions with close to 6,000 arrivals to date

• In March 2023, Canada announced it would welcome 15,000 persons from the Western hemisphere to expand safe, regular pathways as an alternative to irregular migration.
• In November 2023, a PR pathway was launched for approximately 11,000 Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan nationals in South America or Central America, Mexico, or the Caribbean, with family connections to Canada.
• As of October 31, 2024, a total of 10,390 persons have been approved under this pathway, and 6,995 persons have been admitted.
• While it is difficult to predict when clients will travel to Canada once their application is approved, we anticipate that remaining admissions under the pathway will take place in 2025.

Sudan – Family-based Humanitarian Pathway – cap of 3,250 applications with expected result of 5,000 admissions over three years

• In February 2024, a new PR pathway was launched for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals with family in Canada.
• In June 2024, the cap of 3,250 applications accepted into processing was reached. As of October 31, 2024, 1,615 persons have passed both eligibility and security.
• We anticipate admissions of successful applications from this pathway over the next three years.
• In addition, between April 30, 2023 and October 31, 2024, we have priority processed files for people affected by the conflict resulting in:
  • 11,000 people approved to travel to Canada on either a permanent or temporary basis.
  • 6,350 people out of 7,410 approved PR applicants have landed in Canada.

Hong Kong Pathways – no cap or target

• In June 2021, two PR pathways were launched to help Hong Kong residents remain in Canada.
• This public policy was extended and expanded in 2023 to allow more in-Canada Hong Kong nationals to apply to remain here permanently. However, due to high demand and limited admission spaces, processing times for the Hong Kong permanent residence pathways have grown.
• To ensure that applicants can maintain their status in Canada, a new public policy was launched on May 27, 2024 to let Hong Kong PR pathway applicants extend their status and obtain a new open work permit while they wait for a decision on their PR application.
• As of October 31, 2024, over 26,500 persons have applied for the HK PR pathways. Over 10,500 persons have been approved and fewer than 200 have been refused.

Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area – target 1,000 of principal applicants with close to 1,350 people admitted to date

• A temporary public policy for Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the Greater Toronto Area was implemented in January 2020 and expires on December 31, 2024. This public policy recognizes the economic contributions of workers in the construction industry while addressing vulnerabilities associated with their lack of status.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is aiming for 1,000 admissions of principal applicants through this pathway. From October 2020 to October 2024, close to 1,350 total persons have been admitted, which includes family members of principal applicants.

Ukraine – Family-based Pathway – no cap or target

• To support family reunification for those affected by the invasion of Ukraine, a public policy was established facilitating the granting of permanent residence to certain in-Canada Ukrainian foreign nationals who are related to a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The public policy was open for applications from October 23, 2023 to October 22, 2024.
• As of October 31, 2024, over 21,750 persons (including prospective applications and accompanying dependents) have applied for the Ukraine Family-based Pathway. Over 280 persons have been approved and fewer than 20 have been refused.

Permit Holder Class

• Temporary resident permit (TRP) holders may be eligible to apply for permanent residence as members of the permit holder class if all of the following apply:
  • they have not become inadmissible on any grounds other than those for which the original TRP was issued;
  • they currently hold a valid TRP; and
  • they have resided continuously in Canada as a permit holder for three to five years, depending on the nature of their original inadmissibility.
• Between January 1, 2020 and October 31, 2024, 50 individuals were granted permanent residence in this class.

Supplementary Information

If pressed on how long it will take IRCC to clear the present application inventory (without projecting for forthcoming applications):

• Based on the admission targets established as part of the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC estimates that it will take between five to seven years to clear the existing inventory of applicants seeking consideration on H&C grounds only (regardless of province of destination). When considering all the other public policies and permit holder class inventory, the processing time for this category increases to over 20 years.
• To better facilitate admissions under the H&C and Other category, IRCC is continuing to explore ways to enhance its ability to anticipate, and comprehensively manage emerging situations in a manner that is not disruptive to existing programs.

If pressed on processing under the H&C and Other category:

• The unpredictability of global events makes it challenging to anticipate the Levels targets under the H&C and Other category, especially in the long term. Public policies within the category do not have a specific admission target in the Levels Plan, nor are Levels space for this category allocated by country of nationality.
• Processing of applications under this category normally operate under the First-in-First-Out model whereby those applications which are received first, will be processed first. However, in some cases, certain cohorts may be identified by priority processing.
• The Department assesses the need for priority processing on a case-by-case basis and within existing targets. When undertaking such assessments, IRCC considers the implications of making priority processing decisions, including the impacts on other applications within the existing and projected inventory.