One-Year Window of Opportunity: How Resettled Afghan Refugees Can Bring Family Left Behind

Refugees who were resettled to Canada but had to leave family members behind may have a time-limited opportunity to sponsor them. This one-year window is separate from the standard family class and has its own rules, deadlines, and limitations. This resource explains how it works for Afghan refugees.

This resource explains the One-Year Window of Opportunity (OYW), a special provision under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations that allows resettled refugees (Convention refugees and persons in similar circumstances) to sponsor family members who could not accompany them at the time of resettlement. It explains eligibility for both sponsors and family members, the strict one-year deadline from the date of landing, who qualifies as an includable family member, and how the process works for Afghan refugees who arrived with gaps in their family group.

Many Afghan families were resettled to Canada under emergency or urgent circumstances and could not bring all family members at the time of departure. Spouses and children who were left behind in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, or elsewhere may qualify to join through the OYW — but only if the sponsoring resettled refugee acts within one year of landing in Canada. Missing this deadline means losing this specific pathway and having to rely on standard family sponsorship instead, which has higher eligibility bars and longer processing times.

• The OYW allows resettled refugees to sponsor spouses and dependent children who were included in the original refugee application but could not travel — and family members who formed part of the family unit before departure
• The application must be submitted within one year of the resettled refugee's date of landing in Canada — the deadline is strictly enforced and IRCC has very limited discretion to extend it
• Eligible family members include those who were dependants at the time of the original resettlement application and were not included for reasons outside the sponsor's control
• Family members must be outside Canada at the time of the OYW application — this pathway is for separated families, not for family members already in Canada
• The OYW is a non-fee application — IRCC does not charge processing fees for OYW family reunification