After a positive decision

If the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD), or a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) decided in your favour, you are now a protected person. That status is solid, but it is not the end of the process. The next step is permanent residence — and there are a few rules worth knowing early.

What protected person status means

As a protected person, you cannot be removed to the country where you face risk, except in rare situations defined by law. You can work, and you can apply for permanent residence. The status itself does not expire — but it can, in specific circumstances, be taken away, which is why the section below on travel matters more than people expect.

Applying for permanent residence

Protected persons can apply for permanent residence with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). There is no benefit to waiting: the application should be prepared as soon as the decision is in hand. It requires forms, identity documents, photos, and fees — and if your identity documents are imperfect, which is common for refugees, there are legal ways to address that in the application rather than reasons to delay it.

Your family members

Your permanent residence application can include your family members — your spouse or partner and your dependent children — even if they are outside Canada. They are processed with your application, so that they can become permanent residents too. Listing every family member accurately, from the first form onward, matters enormously: a family member who is not declared can be very difficult to sponsor later.

Travelling — the part that protects your status

A protected person should never travel back to the country they were protected against, and should not renew or use that country's passport. Doing either can lead the government to argue that you have reavailed yourself of that country's protection — a procedure called cessation, which can end both your protected status and, in many cases, your permanent residence. For travel, protected persons apply for a Refugee Travel Document issued by the Canadian government, not their national passport. If you have already travelled or renewed a passport, that is a situation to discuss with a lawyer before it is raised with you — factually and calmly.

Common questions at this stage

Can you travel to a third country — a vacation, a family visit somewhere safe? Often yes, with a Refugee Travel Document, though some countries do not recognize it and visa rules differ; check before booking. Can you change address, job, or province? Yes — protected person status is not tied to a place, but keep your address current with IRCC while your permanent residence application is in process. Does the permanent residence application reopen your refugee story? No — it is not a rehearing, though inadmissibility questions (for example, criminal charges) can arise and should be handled with advice.

Toward citizenship

Time spent in Canada as a protected person can partly count toward the residence requirement for citizenship once you become a permanent resident. Citizenship removes the cessation risk that hangs over protected persons and permanent residents. It is the real finish line of this process.

What I do

I prepare permanent residence applications for protected persons, including files with identity-document gaps and family members abroad. I also act when something threatens the status itself — cessation or vacation proceedings, or an inadmissibility question that surfaces during the application. I am a lawyer, a member of the Barreau du Québec, and I represent clients anywhere in Canada, in English, French or Spanish.

If you have just received a positive decision — first, take a breath. Then let's talk about the next step.