Question Period Note: Sudan

Canada’s response to the crisis in Sudan includes in-Canada measures, priority processing of existing refugee resettlement and family class applications, and a mix of special measures to facilitate the reunification of those affected by the conflict with family members in Canada and new resettlement commitments.

• Since the conflict erupted in Sudan, the Government of Canada has acted quickly to support those affected.
• IRCC immediately prioritized temporary and permanent residence applications already in process for those affected by the conflict.
• Over 14,500 people have been approved to come to Canada, including thousands of refugees who have arrived since April 2023.
• To help keep families together, we facilitated travel with fee-exempt documents for those fleeing the conflict, and waived fees for temporary resident visas, biometrics, and permits for eligible family members.

• On April 15, 2023, armed conflict erupted between two rival factions in Sudan resulting in heavy fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and other parts of the country. The security situation in the country rapidly deteriorated and shows no sign of stabilizing. Approximately 10 million people been displaced from their homes.

Family-based permanent resident pathway
• On February 27, 2024, IRCC launched a family-based permanent resident pathway to facilitate permanent residence for Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals affected by the conflict in Sudan. This pathway was designed to reunite families, bringing at least 7,000 individuals to safety in Canada. In June 2024, the program reached its cap of 3,250 applications accepted into processing.
• On February 25, 2025, the pathway was re-opened to facilitate an additional 1,900 applications. Combined, the pathway will facilitate up to 10,000 people. Intake under this measure closed on April 17, 2025.
• While the requirements and benefits of the additional spaces under the reopened pathway resemble the previous pathway, the key difference is that anchors can reside anywhere in Canada, including Quebec (the previous pathway excluded Quebec anchors). However, applicants must still intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec. Out of the 1,900 new applications, 500 were reserved solely for applicants with an anchor in Quebec. Approximately 200 individuals who had applied under the initial pathway, and had their application returned due to being over the initial cap were also accommodated.

Resettlement
• As part of Canada’s ongoing immigration response to the conflict in Sudan, IRCC prioritized processing for thousands of applicants including a large volume of refugee applicants.
• On February 20, 2025, IRCC announced that Canada would support the resettlement of an additional 4,000 government-assisted refugees by 2026. This is in addition to the commitment to resettle 12,000 refugees from Africa between 2024 and 2026.
• IRCC also announced an additional 700 Sudanese refugees through private sponsorship.
• As part of this commitment, IRCC is making 350 more spaces available for Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH), groups that have an agreement with IRCC, to sponsor Sudanese refugees. These spaces are in addition to the number of refugees that these groups can already sponsor in 2025.
• This commitment also includes the resettlement of 350 Sudanese refugees privately sponsored by Groups of Five and Community Sponsors. These are other smaller sponsorship groups who do not hold an agreement with IRCC. As a facilitative measure, IRCC launched a public policy to waive the requirement for a RSD document, which is usually needed for their applications, to support up to 350 individuals (160 applications).
• The Department is currently reviewing the applications received under this special measure for which intake closed on May 1, 2025.

In-Canada extensions
• On April 30, 2023, IRCC implemented immigration measures to support Sudanese temporary residents in Canada. A public policy is in effect to allow Sudanese nationals to submit a fee-exempt application for an extension of their temporary resident status in Canada and move between temporary resident streams. It also provides access to fee-exempt open work permits to clients, if desired, to enable access to the labour market, and greater flexibility to support themselves while they are in Canada. These temporary measures for family members in Canada have been extended until October 27, 2025.

Measures for residents in Sudan with pending immigration applications
• To facilitate immigration applications for those still in Sudan so they can travel once it is safe to do so, the Government of Canada is prioritizing the processing of completed temporary and permanent residence applications already in the system from people still in the country.

Immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who departed Sudan
• To facilitate immigration applications for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents who fled Sudan, Canada issued these immediate family members fee-exempt travel documents to facilitate onward travel to Canada.
• Those who arrived in Canada before July 15, 2023, are eligible to apply for a fee-exempt open work permit or a study permit. They may also submit a fee-exempt application for permanent residence under the Family Class and have their applications prioritized. These temporary measures for family members in Canada have been extended until October 27, 2025.

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