I applied for permanent residence as a protected person. Does my family abroad qualify for the processing pilot?

It depends on when you applied.

If you applied before December 4, 2019

No. We can only consider applications received on or after December 4, 2019, for the pilot project to improve the family reunification process for protected persons.

You can still submit applications for your dependent family members without changing your existing application. They won’t be included in the pilot project, but you can help us contact them while we process their applications. This can make processing simpler.

While you can withdraw your current permanent residence application and resubmit it with your dependent family members included, there are risks. For example:

• you may not be eligible for a refund
• your new application will move to the back of the processing queue
• you’ll need to pay your fees again
• we cannot guarantee that you will qualify for the pilot

If you applied on or after December 4, 2019

Yes. We’ll contact you to explain how to apply for family members who

• you included on your own application
• are living outside Canada
• haven’t applied for permanent residence yet

If you’re eligible, we’ll process your application and your family’s at the same time.

You need to complete and include the Use of Representative [IMM 5476] (PDF, 1.48 MB) form with your family’s applications if you want to

• be their main contact
• submit documents for them