Program delivery update (PDU): Public policy for spouse or common-law partner in Canada (SCLPC) class or family class applicants to apply in Canada [R205(a) – A74]
December 7, 2023
The following changes have been made to the instructions related to the public policy for spouse or common-law partner in Canada (SCLPC) class or family class applicants to apply in Canada [R205(a) – A74]:
- clarified that in these instructions, “officers” refers to IRCC officers only, and not border services officers, as applications cannot be made at the port of entry
- clarified that the requirements of the public policy must be met at the time of decision on the application instead of at the time of application submission
- deleted the following instructions found under the subheading “Refusals and refunds”:
- “The applicant submitted their application on paper and failed to provide any evidence they meet the requirements of R9.4 or R9.5. Therefore, they are not eligible for this public policy.”
- clarified that work permit applications submitted through the Permanent Residence Portal will not be accepted
- Applicants will be required to submit a work permit application using MyAccount or other acceptable methods such as the Authorized Paid Representatives Portal.
- added a new special program code, FC1-OWP-PP, under the subheading “Approval,” to track the number of open work permits issued for sponsored spouses under the family class
In addition, to ensure that foreign nationals do not fall out of status while waiting for the acknowledgment of receipt of their application of permanent residence, IRCC will allow the applicant to submit their open work permit application without the acknowledgment of receipt if they provide the required proof that their work permit, study permit or temporary resident status expires in 2 weeks or less.
