3. Learn how your PRRA is decided

An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officer reviews your (PRRA) application.

If your PRRA is approved, in most cases, you will be granted status.

Then you and can apply for status.

Decided on paper

A PRRA is decided using the written information and you provide. You do not usually have a hearing. So, be detailed and truthful in your application, and include any documents that help prove that you fear returning to your country.

PRRA hearings are rare. But your lawyer or licensed representative can ask for a hearing if the immigration officer has concerns about the truthfulness of the evidence you provided.

Mandatory hearing

In some situations, there must be an oral PRRA hearing. You will have an oral PRRA hearing if you're found not eligible to make a refugee claim in Canada because you:

started a refugee claim in a country that has an information sharing agreement with Canada, and
Canada has confirmation from that country that you made a refugee claim.

These countries are the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

At this oral hearing, you will be asked questions about what you fear and the evidence you have to support that fear. Read What is a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment hearing and how do I prepare for one?

Inadmissible or excluded

Get legal advice if your refugee claim was rejected because of an , or if you're found inadmissible for:

serious criminality
security
breaking international human rights
organized crime

These situations are very complicated. You're only entitled to a restricted PRRA. A different test is used to decide a restricted PRRA.

And if your restricted PRRA is approved:

you will only get temporary protection from removal
your protection can be reviewed, and you can be removed at any time
you will not get protected person status, and
you cannot apply for permanent residence.