Editorial Note: Caduck prepared this article after reviewing current Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) rules, operational guidance and the public policy for previously undeclared family members. This article provides general information and does not replace professional legal or immigration advice.
Some Canadian permanent residents have spent years believing they could never sponsor a spouse, partner or child they failed to declare during their own immigration process.
For a limited group, Canada created an exception.
IRCC’s public policy for certain previously undeclared or unexamined family members can allow eligible permanent residents to sponsor a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child who would normally face the exclusion rules under Canada’s immigration regulations.
But the current policy has an expiry date.
IRCC must receive an eligible application by September 10, 2026.
As of August 21, that leaves only a short period to determine whether the policy applies and prepare a complete application.
The important distinction:
This is not a blanket amnesty for every family member who was left off an immigration application. The policy applies only to specific sponsors and relationships that meet IRCC’s eligibility conditions.
Why Does an Undeclared Family Member Normally Create a Problem?
When someone applies for Canadian permanent residence, IRCC requires them to declare their family members even when those relatives do not plan to immigrate with them.
Depending on the circumstances, those family members must also complete medical examinations and undergo applicable background and security checks.
The requirement can cover a spouse, common-law partner, dependent child and a dependent child’s dependent child.
The rule exists because IRCC needs to know a person’s complete family situation when assessing the original permanent residence application.
Under paragraphs 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, certain family members who were not declared and examined can become excluded from future sponsorship.
That exclusion has historically created serious consequences for families who later try to reunite in Canada.
What Does the Special Public Policy Change?
The current public policy gives a specific group of applicants an exemption from those exclusion provisions.
IRCC first introduced a version of the measure in 2019 and later continued it through consecutive public policies.
The current version runs until September 10, 2026.
It does not erase every immigration requirement.
The sponsored family member must still meet the applicable sponsorship requirements, and IRCC continues to apply other admissibility rules such as criminality, security and medical requirements where applicable.
The policy simply provides relief from the specific undeclared-family-member exclusion when all of its conditions are met.
Who Can Use This Policy?
The sponsor’s own immigration history matters.
The policy can cover certain previously undeclared family members when the sponsor originally became a permanent resident through one of the following routes:
1 — Resettled refugee
The sponsor became a permanent resident as a Convention refugee or person in similar circumstances.
2 — Protected person
The sponsor received permanent residence after Canada determined that they were a protected person.
3 — Family Class sponsorship
The sponsor became a permanent resident after someone sponsored them as a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child.
4 — Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class
The sponsor became a permanent resident after being sponsored as a spouse or common-law partner from inside Canada.
A person who became a permanent resident through another route should not assume this public policy automatically covers them.
For example, IRCC’s policy does not simply apply to every former economic-class immigrant who failed to list a family member.
Which Family Members Can Be Sponsored?
The person being sponsored must apply under an eligible family relationship.
The policy can cover a:
• spouse
• common-law partner
• conjugal partner
• dependent child
The central issue is that the person was a family member when the sponsor immigrated but was not declared or examined as required.
The sponsored person must still qualify under the relationship category used in the current application.
The Biggest Exception: Some Undeclared Relationships Still Do Not Qualify
This is one of the most important parts of the policy.
IRCC does not allow the exception when declaring the relationship would have made the sponsor ineligible for permanent residence in the first place.
Consider three examples.
A person immigrated to Canada as someone’s spouse but was secretly already married to, or living in a common-law relationship with, another undeclared partner.
A person immigrated as a dependent child while they were actually married or in a common-law relationship.
Or a person qualified under an immigration category that specifically required them to have no dependants, when in fact they had an undeclared dependant.
In situations like those, the current policy does not simply remove the problem.
Do not assume “undeclared” automatically means eligible:
IRCC asks whether declaring and examining the family member at the time would have changed the sponsor’s own eligibility for permanent residence.
There Is No Special “Undeclared Family” Application Form
This is the part many people miss.
IRCC does not provide a separate rescue application or special public-policy form for this measure.
Eligible families use the normal process for sponsoring a spouse, partner or child.
The principal applicant submits the sponsorship application and permanent residence application together online through the Permanent Residence Portal.
IRCC then determines whether the undeclared-family-member public policy applies while the policy remains in effect.
That means applicants should not waste time searching for a form called “undeclared family sponsorship application.”
It does not exist.
What If You Already Submitted an Application?
If IRCC already has the application and it remains in process, the applicant generally does not need to submit a second application just to request the public-policy exemption.
IRCC states that it will review applications already in process and determine whether they qualify for the policy.
This distinction matters as the September 10 deadline approaches.
The policy applies based on when IRCC receives the application, not on when IRCC finishes processing it.
An application that qualifies and reaches IRCC before the deadline does not need a final decision by September 10.
What If IRCC Refused You Years Ago?
Some applicants may have another opportunity.
IRCC says a person whose sponsorship application for an undeclared family member received a refusal before May 31, 2019 may submit a new application if the person now qualifies under the public policy.
A previous refusal therefore does not automatically mean the family can never try again.
However, the new application still needs to meet the policy’s current eligibility conditions and all other applicable sponsorship requirements.
What Happens After September 10, 2026?
The current public policy states that it ends on September 10, 2026.
Unless the federal government extends, replaces or otherwise changes the measure, IRCC’s usual exclusion rules remain relevant to new applications after the policy expires.
But applicants should avoid a different mistake: treating today’s regulation as if the government has guaranteed it will never change.
IRCC’s 2026–2028 Forward Regulatory Plan confirms that the department is considering amendments to paragraphs 117(9)(d) and 125(1)(d).
The department says those potential amendments remain in the exploratory phase.
So there are two separate facts:
Fact 1: the current public policy has a September 10, 2026 end date.
Fact 2: IRCC is considering broader regulatory changes, but those changes are not yet final law.
How Much Does the Application Cost in 2026?
The public policy does not eliminate normal sponsorship fees.
IRCC increased permanent residence fees on April 30, 2026.
For a sponsored spouse or partner, the current standard federal fees include:
Sponsorship fee: $90
Principal applicant processing fee: $570
Right of Permanent Residence Fee: $600
Total if all three apply: $1,260
A dependent child carries different fees, and the Right of Permanent Residence Fee does not apply to dependent children.
Applicants may also face separate expenses for medical exams, biometrics, police certificates, translations and document preparation.
Complex Case #1: A Refugee Did Not Declare a Child Years Ago
Situation
A person became a Canadian permanent resident after arriving through a refugee pathway. Years later, the person wants to sponsor an adult family member who was a dependent child at the relevant time but was not declared or examined during the original immigration process.
Problem
The normal exclusion rule may prevent sponsorship because IRCC never examined the family member.
What to check
The sponsor should confirm whether their original immigration category falls within the public policy and whether the family member meets the current definition required for sponsorship.
Practical solution
Use the normal family sponsorship process and provide accurate information about the original immigration history. Do not attempt to hide the earlier omission. IRCC will determine whether the exemption applies.
Complex Case #2: The Sponsor Came to Canada as a Dependent Child
Situation
A person immigrated as a dependent child on a parent’s application. Years later, that person wants to sponsor someone they say was already their common-law partner at the time of immigration.
Problem
If the relationship existed at the time and would have made the sponsor ineligible to immigrate as a dependent child, the public policy may not provide an exemption.
Practical solution
Review the exact dates of cohabitation, relationship status and the immigration category used in the original application before filing. This is a situation where professional immigration advice can be especially important.
Complex Case #3: A Sponsorship Was Refused Before the Policy Started
Situation
A permanent resident previously tried to sponsor an undeclared spouse. IRCC refused the application before May 31, 2019 because of the excluded-family-member rule.
Problem
The family assumes the old refusal permanently ended every possible sponsorship route.
Practical solution
IRCC specifically says an applicant refused before May 31, 2019 can submit a new application if they now qualify under this public policy. The applicant should reassess eligibility immediately because the current policy ends September 10, 2026.
5 Steps to Take Before the September 10 Deadline
1 — Check how the sponsor originally became a permanent resident
The public policy does not cover every immigration category. Confirm whether the sponsor arrived as a resettled refugee, protected person, sponsored spouse or partner, or sponsored dependent child.
→ IRCC: Public Policy for Undeclared Family Members
2 — Confirm the relationship existed at the relevant time
Review when the spouse, partner or child became a family member and whether IRCC should have received their information during the sponsor’s original permanent residence process.
3 — Check the “would this have made me ineligible?” exception
Do not file based only on the fact that a family member was undeclared. Confirm whether declaring that person would have changed the sponsor’s original immigration eligibility.
4 — Use the normal sponsorship application package
There is no separate public-policy application form. Prepare the normal spouse, partner or child sponsorship package and submit the sponsorship and permanent residence applications together online.
→ IRCC: How to Apply
5 — Submit before the policy expires
IRCC says the public policy applies to eligible applications it receives through September 10, 2026. Do not confuse submitting by the deadline with receiving a final decision by that date.
One Deadline, But Not One Rule for Everyone
The September 10 deadline deserves attention, but urgency should not replace accuracy.
A person who falls outside the policy cannot create eligibility simply by submitting an application before the deadline.
At the same time, someone who qualifies should not assume they need to wait for a special application portal or special form.
The practical sequence is straightforward:
Confirm the sponsor’s original immigration class. Confirm who the undeclared family member was at that time. Check whether declaring that relationship would have affected the sponsor’s original eligibility. Then prepare the normal sponsorship application accurately and completely.
The public policy exists to address a very specific historical problem.
For the families it covers, September 10, 2026 is a date worth checking now rather than after it passes.
Bottom line: IRCC’s special public policy may allow certain permanent residents to sponsor spouses, partners or dependent children they failed to declare or have examined during their own immigration process. The policy is scheduled to end September 10, 2026. Eligibility depends on the sponsor’s original immigration category and whether the undeclared relationship would have affected that original application.
This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Immigration eligibility depends on individual facts, previous applications, relationship history and current IRCC rules. If your case involves an undeclared or unexamined family member, a prior refusal, misrepresentation concerns or uncertainty about your original immigration category, consider speaking with an authorized Canadian immigration lawyer or regulated immigration professional before filing.
Sources & Further Reading
Official Government Sources
IRCC — Public Policy for Undeclared Family Members
IRCC — Consecutive Public Policy for Certain Sponsored Foreign Nationals
IRCC — How to Sponsor a Spouse, Partner or Child
IRCC — Complete Sponsorship Guide IMM 5289
IRCC — Proposed Future Amendments to Excluded Relationships
IRCC — 2026 Permanent Residence Fee Changes
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