5. Get a decision on your application

After Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) makes a positive decision at Stage 1 of your humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) application, they continue processing your application for permanent residence. They do this so that they can decide whether to approve you as a permanent resident.

Before you can get permanent resident status, you must pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee. The fee is $515. If IRCC refuses your application, you can get this money back. You don't get back the processing fees that you paid when you applied.

While IRCC is processing your application

IRCC sends you a letter telling you what you need to do next. For example, they ask you to:

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

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

If IRCC approves your application for permanent residence

If IRCC approves your application to become a permanent resident, they call you in for an interview. You need to bring a valid passport or other identity document, such as a birth certificate.

IRCC interviews you to make sure you're not inadmissible to Canada. They may already know about something that makes you inadmissible but decided not to use it against you. For example, some people make H&C applications because of a health condition that would make them inadmissible.

At the interview, an IRCC officer asks questions to find out if there are any other reasons why you could be inadmissible. For example, you might be getting financial assistance from Ontario Works when you go to your interview. IRCC can decide that you can't get permanent resident status at that time because you can't support yourself without social assistance.

Permanent resident documents

If there are no new reasons to find you inadmissible to Canada, IRCC gives you your Confirmation of Permanent Residence document. They send you your permanent resident card in the mail.

Answering questions

You must answer all of the interview questions honestly. If IRCC finds out later that you did not tell the whole truth, you could lose your permanent resident status and be forced to leave Canada.

If IRCC refuses your application for permanent residence

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.