Check intake status before preparing an application
These routes do not work like the regular economic or family programs. Some are temporary public policies with a fixed end date, and one is a refugee resettlement stream that requires a referral. Check the exact route, deadline and submission method before you start.
| Program | Intake status | How applications are made | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign nationals who were in state care | Open until January 21, 2027 | Paper application mailed to IRCC Humanitarian Migration Vancouver | No fee for an eligible applicant |
| Hong Kong residents in Canada (Streams A and B) | Closed since August 31, 2026 | Applications accepted on or before that date are still processed | No new permanent-residence application can be submitted |
| Human rights defenders | Referral only | No direct application; referral by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) | Follow resettlement instructions |
State care has a specific legal meaning
For this policy, ordinary foster care, informal care by relatives or contact with a social agency is not automatically enough. You were in state care if:
Legal responsibility
A child and family services provider had legal responsibility for you, or the responsible provincial or territorial authority obtained full legal parental responsibility for you by court order.
Duration
You were under the legal responsibility of a provider under a provincial or territorial child protection ministry for at least 1 year in total. The periods can be added together.
Proof
IRCC's application list requires an attestation letter and attendance records. The instruction guide and the document checklist (IMM 0203) explain what they must show, so read both before you ask anyone for these documents.
Who it is for
People who came to Canada as children, were in the child protection system, and may now face removal because no one applied for their status when they were eligible.
State-care permanent residence: eligibility
- Age on arrivalYou came to Canada before you turned 19.
- ResidenceYou have lived in Canada continuously for at least 3 years before applying and, if you are now over 19, continuously since you turned 19.
- State careYou were under qualifying legal responsibility for at least 1 cumulative year, as described above.
- Physical presenceYou are in Canada when you apply and when permanent residence is granted.
- IdentityYou hold a valid passport, travel document or identity document, or provide a statutory declaration.
- Serious misconductYou are not eligible if there are serious reasons to consider that you committed a crime against peace, a war crime, a serious non-political crime outside Canada, or acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
- AdmissibilityYou must not be inadmissible, except that the policy lets you apply despite certain listed grounds (see the next section).
Admissibility, family members and Quebec
Listed inadmissibility grounds
You can still apply if you are inadmissible only for serious criminality, criminality, health (excessive demand), financial reasons, misrepresentation linked to your entry or to overstaying and working or studying without authorization, being sponsored by someone found inadmissible for misrepresentation, non-compliance, or an inadmissible family member (unless that person is inadmissible under IRPA subsections 34(1), 35(1) or 37(1)). It is not a blanket waiver.
Eligible family members
You can include family members in Canada: a spouse or common-law partner, your or your partner's dependent child, and a dependent child of a dependent child.
Declare everyone
Declare all accompanying and non-accompanying family members. A family member you do not declare cannot be sponsored later.
Quebec
If you plan to live in Quebec, IRCC refers the application to Quebec's immigration ministry. You need a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) before permanent residence can be granted.
How to apply for state-care permanent residence
- Read the guideUse the current instruction guide and the document checklist IMM 0203.
- Complete and print the formsComplete IMM 0008 (select "Other" as the program and "In-Canada - Humanitarian & Compassionate Considerations" as the category), IMM 5669 and, if applicable, IMM 5406. Add IMM 5476 if you use a representative.
- Gather documentsInclude the attestation letter and attendance records, identity and residence evidence, one photo per person and every item on the checklist.
- Mail one packageSign the forms and mail them, in one envelope for the whole family, to IRCC – Humanitarian Migration Vancouver, FN/State Care, 300-800 Burrard St, Vancouver BC V6Z 0B6. Use a tracked postal or courier service.
- No feeThere is no permanent-residence application fee for an eligible applicant under this policy.
- Follow upRespond to any request for medical exams, police certificates, identity or other documents, and report important changes while the file is processed.
The related state-care temporary resident permit
A separate, fee-free temporary resident permit (TRP) can give status while a person regularizes their situation. It is a different application from permanent residence.
- Eligibility: the same age, 3-year residence, residence-since-19 and 1-year state-care tests, physical presence in Canada, and no valid temporary resident status when applying. The same listed inadmissibility grounds can be overcome.
- Discretion: a TRP is never guaranteed. An officer issues one only for compelling reasons, when the need to stay outweighs the health or safety risks to Canadian society.
- No fees: eligible applicants and their eligible dependants pay no fee for the TRP, a work permit or a study permit.
- Forms: IMM 5708 for a TRP only, IMM 5710 for a TRP and open work permit, or IMM 5709 for a TRP and study permit, plus a written statement explaining how state care affected your present situation, including your lack of status. Mail it to Humanitarian Migration Office – Vancouver, 300-800 Burrard Street, Vancouver BC V6Z 0B6.
- Family members: eligible family members in Canada without valid status can apply for their own TRP once the principal applicant has been issued one.
- Validity: usually at least 1 year. It can be cancelled by an officer at any time and stops being valid when you leave Canada, unless you were specifically authorized to leave and re-enter.
- Link to permanent residence: a TRP you already hold stays valid until it expires or your permanent-residence application is approved.
Hong Kong pathways: closed on August 31, 2026
Both streams required a valid passport from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or a British National (Overseas) passport issued to a person born, naturalized or registered in Hong Kong; physical presence in Canada when applying and when granted permanent residence; valid temporary resident status; a plan to live outside Quebec; and CLB or NCLC 5 in all four language skills.
Stream A: in-Canada graduates
Graduation in the 3 years before applying from a Canadian post-secondary designated learning institution with a degree, a diploma from a program of at least 2 years, or a graduate or post-graduate diploma or certificate from a program of at least 1 year, with at least 50% of the program completed in Canada (in person or online). For a graduate or post-graduate credential you also needed a prerequisite diploma or degree completed in the 5 years before that program began.
Stream B: Canadian work experience
At least 1,560 hours of paid, authorized work in Canada in the 3 years before applying, and a Canadian work permit held for at least 1 year. Hours as a full-time student, self-employment, work outside Canada, leave and unemployment did not count.
If your application is in process: keep your confirmation and file number, respond to IRCC requests by the deadlines, and keep your temporary status and contact information current.
Open work permit: if your status will expire while your permanent-residence application is processed, you can apply until May 2029 for an open work permit valid for up to 3 years. You must be in Canada, have applied under Stream A or B, and have held a work or study permit in the 3 years before your permanent-residence application. If your status expired less than 90 days ago, you can still apply but must also request restoration and pay the restoration fee. Your spouse, common-law partner or dependent child over 18 included in the application can apply with you. The option ends if the permanent-residence application is refused, withdrawn or returned. The work permit fee is $155.
Human rights defenders and other targeted measures
Human rights defenders
A refugee stream within the Government-Assisted Refugees program that resettles up to 250 people (defenders and their family members) each year. No one can apply directly. The UNHCR refers candidates, with help from Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu in identifying those most in need. See refugees and asylum.
Other targeted measures
Crisis-related and other special measures have their own eligibility, intake and expiry rules. A temporary work permit or TRP is not permanent residence. See active public policies and paused and closed programs.
These programs do not use a points system
Eligibility depends on fixed definitions, dates, status, documents and admissibility. No score can make up for a missing passport category, deadline, residence period, credential, work hours or court-ordered care history.
- Build a timelineWrite a date-by-date history before choosing a route.
- Match each period to documentsBack up every period of study, work, status, residence or care with independent records.
- Recheck on filing dayCheck the current IRCC page and forms again on the day you submit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the deadline for the state-care permanent-residence pathway?
The pathway is open until January 21, 2027. Applications are made on paper by mail, not through the Permanent Residence Portal.
Do I pay a fee for the state-care pathway?
No. An eligible foreign national who was in state care pays no permanent-residence application fee under this policy. Eligible applicants and their eligible dependants also pay no fee for the related temporary resident permit, work permit or study permit.
Can I still apply under the Hong Kong pathways?
No. Both streams closed to new applications on August 31, 2026. IRCC continues to process applications it accepted on or before that date.
Can I apply directly as a human rights defender?
No. The stream is referral-only. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) refers candidates, and there is no direct application to IRCC.
Official sources
- IRCC: Permanent residence pathway for foreign nationals who were in state care
- IRCC: State-care pathway, who can apply
- IRCC: State-care pathway, how to apply
- IRCC: State-care TRP, who can apply
- IRCC: State-care TRP, how to apply
- IRCC: State-care TRP, after you apply
- IRCC: Permanent residence pathways for Hong Kong residents (closed)
- IRCC: Hong Kong pathways, who can apply
- IRCC: Hong Kong applicants, open work permit
- IRCC notice: Hong Kong pathways closing to new applications
- IRCC: Government-Assisted Refugees Program (human rights defenders stream)
This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.