Family Sponsorship in Canada After September 10, 2026: Rules and Procedures

What the End of the Public Policy on September 10, 2026 Means

The Canadian immigration system is once again enforcing baseline family reunification rules strictly. On September 10, 2026, the temporary public policy introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) came to an end. This measure allowed certain permanent residents to sponsor immediate family members who were not declared or examined during their own initial permanent residence application.

To grasp the impact of this change, look at the legislation itself. Paragraphs 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) set out a clear consequence: an individual is excluded from the family class if an immigration officer did not examine them when their sponsor became a permanent resident. For several years, the temporary policy created an exception for specific vulnerable groups, especially protected persons and individuals sponsored from within Canada. Since September 10, 2026, that window has closed for all new applications.

In practice, here is the official cutoff:

• Complete applications received by IRCC on or before September 10, 2026 continue to be processed under the criteria of the former exemption policy.
• Any new application submitted after that date for an undeclared relative falls directly under the regulatory bar of paragraph 117(9)(d). You can check family reunification criteria directly on the official portal at canada.ca.

Real Situations in North Africa: Understanding Common Pitfalls

In our day-to-day work with applicants from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, we see that this issue rarely stems from bad faith. Most of the time, simple misunderstandings cause the problem.

Here is a common scenario. An engineer from Casablanca applies for permanent residence through the federal system. He submits his profile, gets an invitation, and the processing takes several months. While waiting, he gets legally married. Thinking he is keeping things simple and worrying that adding his wife will delay his Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), he says nothing and lands at Montreal airport as a single applicant. He plans to sponsor his wife the following year once he has an apartment and a job. That choice brings serious consequences: when he tries to sponsor her, IRCC will see that she was already his wife before he became a permanent resident without undergoing the mandatory medical exam. Under the regulations, she is excluded from the family class for life through standard processing.

Another frequent situation involves a child born during the process. Parents in Tunisia or Algeria have a baby while their federal file is in its final stages. Lacking clear information, they travel to settle in Canada, temporarily leaving the infant with grandparents without sending the birth certificate or requesting a medical exam for the baby from IRCC. Here too, an unexamined child cannot be sponsored through standard family sponsorship later on.

You must declare any change in marital or family status (marriage, divorce, birth, adoption) before you officially validate your permanent resident status in Canada. Even if your spouse or child will not accompany you right away, you must list them on your forms, and they must undergo medical examinations and background checks.

Two Separate Options: Regular Sponsorship vs. Humanitarian Grounds

If you have an unexamined family member and did not submit your file before the September 10, 2026 cutoff, you cannot use standard sponsorship forms. Two very different paths exist today:

1. Regular Family Sponsorship (For Declared Family Members)

If you declared your family members during your own application, submitted their forms, and they completed their medical exams, the standard process applies without issue. You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, or dependent children if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, live in Canada (or plan to live there once your spouse arrives, if you are a citizen), and do not face legal bars (undischarged bankruptcy, imprisonment, unpaid support payments, or default on a past sponsorship undertaking).

2. Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications (Section 25 of the IRPA)

For someone whose spouse or child was not examined and whose file was not submitted by September 10, 2026, the door to standard sponsorship is shut. The only path left before IRCC is an application on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds under Section 25 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. This is not an automatic right; it is a discretionary remedy granted by an immigration officer under exceptional circumstances. The application must show concrete written proof of:

• The best interests of any child directly affected by the family separation (schooling conditions, emotional stability, physical safety, daily presence of parents);
• Disproportionate, unusual, or undeserved hardship the family would suffer if the waiver were refused;
• The sponsor's establishment in Canada, including employment history, tax returns, financial stability, and ties to the local community;
• The genuine, documented reasons why the initial declaration was missed, showing no intent to deceive or commit fraud.

Building a Regular Sponsorship File: Concrete Steps

Putting together a sponsorship file demands precision and organization. Every supporting document must match civil status records and past statements. Here are the main preparation steps:

Gathering Civil Status Documents

For a couple married in Morocco, Algeria, or Tunisia, you need full certified marriage certificates, along with certified translations for any text not written in French or English. For common-law partners, the evidentiary standard is even higher: you must prove at least twelve continuous months of cohabitation using joint leases, utility or internet bills in both names, joint bank accounts, and official mail sent to the same address.

Proving a Genuine Relationship

IRCC checks carefully to confirm the union was not entered into primarily to obtain immigration status in Canada. The file should include regular communication records covering the entire relationship, airline tickets and passport entry stamps proving visits, receipts for money transfers or shared expenses, and a clear selection of dated photos showing the couple together and with their families at key life events.

The Sponsor's Financial Undertaking

The sponsor signs a formal undertaking with the government, promising to provide for the basic needs of the sponsored person (food, shelter, clothing, and health care not covered by public plans). This undertaking lasts 3 years for a spouse or common-law partner, starting from the day they receive permanent residence. For a dependent child, the duration ranges from 10 years up to age 22 or 25, depending on the child's age when applying. If the sponsor lives in Quebec, the process has two distinct steps: federal approval by IRCC, followed by an undertaking application with the Quebec immigration ministry.

Medical Exams and Police Certificates

The sponsored relative must complete a medical examination with an IRCC-approved panel physician. They must also provide a police clearance certificate (such as Bulletin No. 3 in North Africa or the national police equivalent) for every country where they lived for six consecutive months or more since age 18. An unpardoned criminal record can make a person inadmissible to Canada.

Working with AMRI Consulting

AMRI Consulting is a private consulting firm helping clients with Canadian immigration and study programs. We want to be clear: we are not IRCC or a Canadian government department. No university admission, visa issuance, or permanent residence decision depends on our firm; those decisions belong entirely to IRCC officers and provincial authorities.

All immigration files handled by our firm are supervised, in partnership, by Mr. Mohammed El Habib Cherdoud, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC license R532955 issued by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants - CICC) who also holds Quebec license number 11852. You can check his professional standing directly on the CICC public register.

We welcome clients at two offices:

• In Montreal: 1819 Jean-Talon St East, 2nd Floor, Suite 150, postal code H2E 1T4. Phone & WhatsApp: +1 514 582-6335.
• In Rabat: Fal Ould Oumeir Avenue, Oukaimden Residence 38, Apt 13, Agdal.

Our fees cover our review work, file preparation, and administrative follow-up. They do not constitute legal advice and do not include government processing fees (IRCC fees, biometrics, medical tests, translations), which you pay directly to the relevant bodies. Our fees are transparent, with no hidden charges, and are listed on our page on fees and payment terms.

Here are the services we provide:

1. Family Sponsorship

Total professional fee: CAD 3,500. Payments are split according to actual progress:

• Initial consultation: CAD 100 (credited toward your package if you retain us);
• Stage 1 - File opening and document preparation: CAD 1,650;
• Stage 2 - Submission and monitoring until the final decision: CAD 1,750.

2. Express Entry

For skilled workers pursuing permanent residence through economic streams, we provide full support for Express Entry. Fees: CAD 5,000 for a single applicant, or CAD 8,000 for a couple (children included). The payment schedule follows clear milestones: a CAD 100 initial consultation, CAD 900 upon file opening, CAD 2,000 upon receiving the Invitation to Apply (ITA), and CAD 2,000 upon final submission of the permanent residence application.

Keep in mind that for this program, IRCC accepts only a specific list of language tests. For French, only TEF Canada and TCF Canada are recognized. For English, IRCC accepts IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core. Academic credentials like DELF, DALF, or IELTS Academic are not accepted for Express Entry.

3. Study Permits and University Admissions

Professional fee: CAD 5,000 (CAD 100 for the initial consultation, CAD 2,400 upon file opening, CAD 2,500 upon the final decision). Our assistance with university admission applications is completely free of charge: you only pay the university's application fee and your tuition fees directly to the school.

For applicants seeking strong French-language studies, we primarily recommend the Université de Moncton in New Brunswick. Please note that Université de Moncton is not an official partner or affiliated institution of our firm; it is simply the university we recommend to our applicants for its full French-language curricula, reasonable living costs, and lower tuition rates compared to major metropolitan centers. High school graduates (baccalauréat holders) enter undergraduate programs (Canadian bachelor's degree), while a master's requires a licence (undergraduate degree) and doctoral studies require a prior master's.

Université de Moncton also allows eligible applicants to apply under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP). This federal pilot is open to citizens of member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie who enroll in a French-language program outside Quebec. Language benchmarks are clear: IRCC requires a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB / NCLC) level 5 in French, while Université de Moncton requires NCLC 7 for admission. This pilot offers reduced proof-of-funds requirements compared to the standard study permit route and opens a direct pathway to permanent residence after graduation, within annual IRCC quotas. You can explore available fields on our page dedicated to university studies in Canada.

Important note on our services: AMRI Consulting does not handle job offers, closed work permits, tourist visitor visas, or stand-alone provincial nominee programs. We focus exclusively on the three service areas listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

My spouse did not declare me when leaving for Canada three years ago. Can we file a standard sponsorship application today?

No. Because the temporary public policy ended on September 10, 2026, paragraph 117(9)(d) of the IRPR excludes you from the standard family class. Submitting a regular application will result in an IRCC refusal. The only remaining option is to apply for permanent residence on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds under Section 25 of the IRPA. This discretionary route requires a strong application documenting the best interests of children, the lack of intentional fraud, and the hardship caused by prolonged separation.

Which language tests does IRCC accept for Express Entry?

IRCC accepts only a designated list of standardized language tests. For French, you must take either TEF Canada or TCF Canada. DELF and DALF are not accepted, regardless of your score. For English, you must take IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, or PTE Core. IELTS Academic and TOEFL are not accepted for federal economic immigration programs.

How long does the sponsor remain financially responsible under an undertaking?

The length of the undertaking depends on the relationship. For a spouse or common-law partner, the legal duration is 3 years from the day the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident. During these 3 years, even if you separate or divorce, the sponsor must repay the government for any social assistance benefits received by the sponsored spouse. For a dependent child, the undertaking lasts 10 years or until the child turns 22 (whichever comes first), or 3 years if the child is already 22 or older when permanent residence is granted.

Reviewing Your File

Every immigration situation has specific details that deserve careful review before you pay government fees or submit official forms.

To review your options, assess your eligibility, or discuss your family circumstances, start by completing our free online eligibility assessment. Once we receive your details, we will arrange an initial consultation for CAD 100 with our team, in partnership with our regulated consultant. If you decide to move forward with us for full representation, this CAD 100 is credited in full against your service package.