Ottawa-Canada's approach to immigration supports community needs, economic objectives and humanitarian responsibilities. A key part of these responsibilities is Canada's long-standing commitment to protecting the world's most vulnerable, including people affected by the conflict in Sudan.
After violence erupted in Khartoum on April 15, 2023, Canada took on a leadership role, organizing discussions with like-minded countries to coordinate a response to the crisis. This included work to get hundreds of Canadian citizens and permanent residents and their family members out of Sudan, along with the launch of temporary and permanent immigration measures to help keep people safe and keep families together.
As part of our ongoing work to help people in the region, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced that Canada will resettle more refugees affected by the conflict in Sudan over the next two years and increase the spaces available under the family-based permanent residence pathway. These measures will be delivered as part of the existing Immigration Levels Plan and could help more than 7,000 additional people impacted by the conflict in Sudan.
Canada is committing to resettle up to 4,000 Sudanese government-assisted refugees by the end of 2026, and intends to support an additional 700 Sudanese refugees through private sponsorship. This includes up to 350 Sudanese nationals privately sponsored by groups of five and community sponsors for whom Canada also intends to waive the requirement for a refugee status determination document. More details will be available in the coming weeks.
The Minister also announced that the number of applications accepted into processing for the family-based permanent residence pathway will increase from 3,250 to over 5,000, which will allow Canada to welcome approximately 10,000 people under this pathway. The pathway will remain the same as when it launched in February 2024, but will no longer require the Canadian anchor to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec. We will begin accepting new applications under this pathway as of February 25, 2025.
