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Family violence · special measures

Family Violence Immigration Help — you do not have to stay to stay in Canada.

If your status depends on an abusive spouse or partner, there is a measure built for you: a fee-exempt permit that can come with an open work permit and healthcare coverage — so leaving does not mean losing your status.

Talk to us confidentially → What this gives you
  • Confidential
  • No government fee
  • Brampton & London

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Support is available at any hour: in Ontario, the Assaulted Women’s Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7 in 200+ languages at 1-866-863-0511 (TTY 1-866-863-7868), and local shelters can help too. Immigration can be handled once you are safe — and your status can usually be protected.

Outside Ontario? A 24/7 line in every province and territory

All free and open 24/7. Source: Government of Canada crisis lines.

A quiet hallway with the front door standing open onto a sunny tree-lined street, a red scarf hanging on a hook beside the door
The door is yours to open, when you are ready.
Cost
No feeThe family-violence permit is exempt from processing fees.
Work
Open permitAn open work permit can be issued so you can support yourself.
Coverage
HealthcareInterim Federal Health Program coverage may be provided.
Dependants
ChildrenDependent children in Canada can often be included.
Who this is for

Built for people whose status is tied to someone unsafe.

Family violence includes physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse. Using your immigration status to control you is itself a form of abuse.

  1. 01

    Sponsored spouses and partnersMost common

    Your sponsorship is in process and your partner is threatening to withdraw it, or using it to control you.

  2. 02

    Dependants on someone else’s permit

    Your status flows from a spouse’s work or study permit, so leaving can feel like losing everything at once.

  3. 03

    Parents with children in Canada

    You need to protect your children’s status and schooling as well as your own.

  4. 04

    Financial and psychological abuse

    Control over money, documents or your passport counts. Abuse is not only physical.

  5. 05

    Status expiring soon

    Your permit is running out and the abuser controls the renewal. Urgent, and fixable.

The route

Safety first. Then the paperwork.

Nothing is filed and nobody is contacted until you decide.

  1. 01 · Now

    Get safe first

    If you are in immediate danger call 911. Provincial crisis lines and shelters operate around the clock. Immigration can be handled once you are safe.

  2. 02

    Speak to a licensed representative confidentially

    Nothing is filed and nobody is contacted until you decide. Your spouse or partner is not asked to consent.

  3. 03

    Prepare your statement

    A police report is not required. Your own account is central evidence, supported by messages, medical notes, shelter records or letters where available.

  4. 04

    Apply for the fee-exempt permit

    The temporary resident permit carries no processing fee and can be issued with an open work permit and Interim Federal Health Program coverage. Dependent children in Canada can usually be included.

  5. 05

    Plan the longer-term route

    The permit is temporary. An application for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds is often the durable answer.

What it provides

What this measure actually gives you.

Six things the permit can bring, and the one limit to plan around.

01Status in your own name
A permit that gives you temporary resident status independent of your spouse or partner.
02A fee exemption
There are no processing fees, so cost is never the reason you cannot leave.
03An open work permit
Authorisation to work for almost any employer, so you can support yourself independently.
04Healthcare coverage
Coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program may be provided while the permit is valid.
05Protection for your children
Dependent children in Canada can usually be included in the same application.
06A route to stay
Where appropriate we plan the longer-term option, often an H&C application, alongside the permit.
—The limit
The permit is temporary. IRCC makes all final decisions, so the longer-term route is planned from the start.
Confidential · priority review

Reach out when you are ready.

You do not need to have decided anything. Share as much as you feel safe sharing and a licensed RCIC will explain your options privately.

  • What this permit gives you, in plain language.
  • Whether your children can be included.
  • How quickly status and a work permit can be arranged.
  • The longer-term route to staying in Canada.

Confidential enquiry

Handled privately. Use a safe email and phone number if you can.

Prefer WhatsApp? Message us
Licensed RCIC · handled confidentially

Thanks — we’ll be in touch

A licensed RCIC will review your details and reach out, usually the same business day.

Message us on WhatsApp
Good to know

Questions about family violence and immigration status?

We keep every common question — eligibility, documents, timing, fees and processing — answered and updated in one place. Visit the Help Centre.

What can make someone inadmissible?
Criminality, misrepresentation, medical grounds, security concerns, and non-compliance with immigration law. An old or minor conviction abroad can be enough, and Canadian law — not the law where it happened — decides how it is classified.
What is a Temporary Resident Permit?
A discretionary permit allowing an inadmissible person to enter or stay for a limited time and purpose, where the need to be in Canada outweighs the risk. It does not erase the inadmissibility.
Is a DUI really that serious?
Yes. Impaired driving is generally treated as serious criminality in Canada, which makes many people inadmissible even for a single old offence. It is one of the most common reasons travellers are turned away.
What is criminal rehabilitation?
The permanent fix. Once enough time has passed since your sentence was completed you may apply to have the inadmissibility resolved for good. For a single non-serious offence, enough elapsed time can even resolve it automatically.
What happens if I just try my luck at the border?
An officer can refuse you entry and record it, which makes every future application harder. Address inadmissibility before you travel, not at the counter.

More questions on this topic are answered in the Help Centre.

Related services

Explore your other options.

General information only, not legal advice. 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.

Next on your path

Keep your file moving.

The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.

  1. GuideHumanitarian and compassionateWhen the regular rules don't fit your case.
  2. GuideVulnerable worker permitsLeave an abusive employer and keep working.
  3. GuideSpousal open work permitWork while your partner studies or works.
  4. GuideSpousal sponsorshipInland or outland, and how to prove it.