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Pathway

Canada Residence for Former State-Care Youth

Canada Residency
Pathway overview

At a glance

If you came to Canada as a child and were placed under provincial or territorial state care, you may qualify for a temporary policy offering permanent residence. It is open until January 21, 2027. You must meet its residence and care requirements; having spent time in foster care alone may not be enough.

Who can apply
Certain people in Canada who came before 19 and were under state care
Status
Open until January 21, 2027
Residence history
At least three continuous years before applying, plus continuous residence since age 19 if applicable

Summary

This is a narrow, time-limited pathway for people in Canada who arrived before age 19, were under the legal responsibility of a child and family services provider, and now need permanent-residence protection because their immigration status is insecure. It is open until January 21, 2027.

For this policy, a child and family services provider must have had legal responsibility for you, and the responsible provincial or territorial authority must have obtained full parental responsibility through a court order. Contact with child services without that legal arrangement may not qualify.

Document the court-ordered care and residence history
  1. Get records of the legal care arrangement Obtain the court order and agency records showing the required period of parental responsibility.
  2. Build the arrival and residence timeline Check age, continuous residence, and any immigration entry issues against the policy.
  3. Apply before the deadline Follow the current immigration guide and keep proof that the application was delivered.

Foster care or contact with child services alone may not meet the required legal arrangement.

Could this pathway work for you?

Eligibility

The principal applicant must generally:

The policy allows applications despite some circumstances that would normally prevent immigration approval, but it does not waive every restriction. IRCC's eligibility page lists the grounds for which an otherwise eligible person may still apply. A Quebec resident also needs a Certificat de sélection du Québec after IRCC refers the file to the province.

Eligible family members in Canada may be included. All accompanying and non-accompanying family members must be declared accurately.

What This Route Allows

Approval gives the applicant and included eligible family members in Canada permanent residence. IRCC charges no permanent-residence application fee under this public policy, although third-party costs such as medical exams or police certificates may still apply.

An eligible person who needs temporary status may also apply for the separate temporary resident permit described by IRCC. That permit is not automatic and does not replace the permanent-residence application.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a general youth, humanitarian, foster-care, or childhood-arrival program. It requires the court-ordered state-care relationship, the specified residence history, physical presence in Canada, and filing before the deadline.

It is also not safe to assume every inadmissibility issue is excused. Security, organized crime, human-rights, and other serious issues can remain disqualifying, and the public-policy wording should be reviewed directly in a difficult case.

Next Steps

  1. Obtain the child-protection court order and agency records showing at least one year in total of legal responsibility.
  2. Build a timeline proving arrival before age 19, at least three years of continuous residence before filing, and continuous residence since age 19 if applicable.
  3. Gather identity, school, health, tax, employment, housing, and immigration records that support the timeline.
  4. Identify every family member and whether they are in Canada, accompanying, or non-accompanying.
  5. Review any criminal, removal, misrepresentation, status, or other inadmissibility issue with a qualified lawyer; the policy treats different grounds differently.
  6. Submit the required paper application by January 21, 2027 using IRCC's current guide and keep proof of delivery.

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Sources