Bringing your partner and children who are still abroad to Québec

The program One-year period prescribed by the Government of Canada allows you to bring your family members to Québec who were unable to accompany you.

Under the program, you may bring:

• your spouse
• your common-law partner
• your dependent child or children

To submit an application, you must:

• have arrived in Canada at least one year ago
• have been admitted to Canada as a refugee while abroad (sponsored or government-assisted)
• have already indicated the name of the person you wish to bring in the Application for permanent residence in Canada (form IMM 0008)
• If you are a sponsored refugee, ensure with your guarantor that these persons’ names were included in the sponsorship application that was accepted by the ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI).

You must have submitted a Demande pour faire venir au Québec les membres de votre famille restés à l’étranger dans le cadre du délai prescrit d’un an (A-1520-FF) (French only - Application to bring family members who are still abroad to Québec) in the year following your arrival. The prescribed one-year period to submit an application begins on the date of your arrival in Canada as a permanent resident.

Organizations responsible for welcoming government-assisted refugees or your sponsor may help you in the procedures to bring family members abroad to Québec. However, immigration assistance, counselling and representation are not the responsibility of these organizations, or guarantors, in accordance with the Québec Immigration Act (CQLR, chapter I-0.2.1).

1. Complete the form

You must complete and sign the following form:

Demande pour faire venir au Québec les membres de la famille restés à l’étranger (PDF 225 Kb) (French only - Application to bring family members who are still abroad to Québec).

2. Attach proof of permanent residence

You must attach to your application the following documents:

• a two-sided photocopy of the permanent residence card or a one-sided photocopy of the confirmation of permanent residence;
• a proof of address in Québec (electric bill, bank document with your address, notice of assessment, etc.).

3. Send the application and the required documents by mail

The application, accompanied by all the required documents, must be sent by mail to the following address:

Once your application has been submitted, the MIFI will evaluate the application and make a decision about your selection. If the application is accepted, the MIFI will mail you a letter of the acceptance of the application for selection through the prescribed one-year window of opportunity provision and a notice of the issue of the Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). The CSQs will be provided to the recipients upon their arrival at the airport.

You must then submit an application for permanent residence to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for each member of your family. You will need to include the letter of acceptance of your request for selection and the notice of issue of the CSQ. Applications for permanent residence through the prescribed one-year window of opportunity must be submitted online through the IRCC permanent residence portal.

For instructions, you can consult the Guide to Reunite Family Members Abroad under the One-Year Window of Opportunity Provision (IMM 5578).

To speed up the procedures, you can prepare your application for permanent residence before having received the letter of acceptance of your request for selection. Be sure that you have included the notice of the MIFI’s decision regarding your selection before submitting your application.