Canada's immigration minister has ended a permanent residency exemption for refugees with family members not listed. The exemption had enabled refugees to apply even when family members were not listed in their initial application.
The change removes that route to status . It applies to refugees who did not declare family members . This policy was implemented straight away .
Separately, family sponsorship rules are undergoing revision next year. The new rules will take effect on that date.
Meanwhile, proof-of-citizenship applications have risen sharply. Estimated wait times for those applications are about three years long. Processing delays remain a major challenge for applicants seeking Canadian citizenship.