Long-established in Canada
Years of work, community, taxes and relationships — a life that cannot simply be transplanted.
Most common Humanitarian & compassionate
Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) — when the rules don’t fit, your life still counts.
An H&C application asks Canada to grant permanent residence based on your circumstances rather than a checklist — your establishment, your family, the children affected, and what leaving would actually cost.
RCIC-led Brampton & London Evidence-led
Strength indicator
How strong is your H&C picture?
H&C is decided on the weight of your circumstances taken together. This gives you an honest first read before you invest years in an application.
Your circumstances
Four of the heaviest factors.
Best interests of the child is a factor an officer must actively consider.
What officers weigh
The factors that decide an H&C.
Establishment in Canada
Employment history, taxes, property, volunteering and community involvement — documented, not merely described.
Best interests of any child
Where a child is affected this must be identified and evidenced specifically, never mentioned in passing.
Family ties and dependency
Who relies on you here, who you rely on, and what separation would practically mean for them.
Health and medical needs
Diagnoses, treatment plans, and whether comparable care is realistically available elsewhere.
Consequences of leaving
The concrete hardship of return — your specific circumstances, not generalised difficulty.
Your immigration history
Time out of status, prior refusals and any misrepresentation are weighed. They get addressed, not hidden.
Who applies
Situations where H&C fits.
H&C is not a catch-all. It works where there is a real, documented human cost to applying the ordinary way from abroad.
Children affected
A child in Canada whose schooling, health or family unity would be harmed by removal.
BIOCFamily ties
Close family here who depend on you, or on whom you depend, where separation would cause real hardship.
Health considerations
Medical needs that cannot reasonably be met in the country you would return to.
Adverse country conditions
Conditions at home that create hardship even where they fall short of a refugee claim.
Out of status
People who lost status through circumstances beyond their control and built a life here regardless.
Before you file
Married or common-law? There may be a better route.
If your spouse or common-law partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and the two of you are living together in Canada, a public policy made under subsection 25(1) of IRPA may let you be processed in the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada class instead — even if your temporary status has run out. It is a materially easier route than a general H&C.
A lower bar to clear
You would not have to establish unusual and undeserved or disproportionate hardship. The class asks for an eligible sponsor with a valid undertaking, a genuine relationship, and cohabitation in Canada.
Priority handling
Spousal applications are processed on a priority basis, and family members in Canada and abroad can be included on the same application.
Protections that general H&C does not give
No minimum income requirement for the sponsor, no excessive-demand medical bar, and a temporary administrative deferral of removal for applicants who qualify.
A sponsorship undertaking has to be genuinely on file. Without one — or where the sponsor is not eligible — the case is assessed under the general H&C rules described on this page. See how the spousal public policy works.
How we work
How we prepare an H&C.
01
Assess honestly first
H&C is not right for everyone. We tell you candidly whether your facts support it before you invest years.
02
Build the evidence record
Employment, tax, medical, school, community and country-condition evidence, organised into a coherent record.
03
Address the children properly
Where a child is involved we develop the best-interests analysis in full rather than leaving it to inference.
04
Write the submission
A structured submission tying your evidence to each factor an officer must weigh.
Honest case assessment
Is H&C realistic for you?
These applications take years and cost real money. Before you file one, get a straight answer about whether your circumstances actually support it.
Questions about H&C applications?
We keep every common question — eligibility, documents, timing, fees and processing — answered and updated in one place.
Related services
Explore your other options.
Family SponsorshipSpouse, partner & children
Temporary Resident PermitEnter despite inadmissibility
Refusals & AppealsReview, remedies & re-filing
Caregiver ProgramsHome care worker pathways
Express EntryStrategy & PR profile
Resource LibraryChecklists & deadline tools
General information only, not legal advice, and current as of July 2026. Rules, fees and processing times change — confirm current requirements on canada.ca before filing. Contacting us does not create a client–consultant relationship until a written retainer is signed. IRCC makes all final decisions.
H&C review
Do you have humanitarian and compassionate grounds?
Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.
- Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant — never a bot, never a salesperson
- A written shortlist of the programs you realistically qualify for
- Consultations are fee-based; you get the fee and available times by reply
CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.