3. Get a decision at Stage 1

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decides your humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application in 2 stages. For it to be successful, IRCC must decide to:

1. let you apply for permanent residence in Canada for humanitarian and compassionate reasons, and
2. approve you for permanent resident status in Canada.

If you get approval at Stage 1, this means that IRCC has decided to let you apply for permanent resident status in Canada for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

If IRCC makes a positive decision at Stage 1

After IRCC makes a positive decision at Stage 1, they still need to decide if you're inadmissible to Canada.

IRCC sends you a letter telling you what you need to do to continue your application.

For example, they can ask you to:

• have a medical examination
• get police certificates from other countries where you lived for 6 months or longer from the age of 18

Follow the instructions in the letter from IRCC. If you have questions, talk to a lawyer.

If IRCC refuses your application at Stage 1

Get legal advice right away to find out what you can do if IRCC refuses your application. A lawyer who knows immigration law can tell you what your options are.

You might be able to ask the Federal Court to review the decision. The deadline to apply to the Federal Court is 15 days from when you get the decision.