Situations could arise where applicants could get a positive Stage 1 assessment even though they are on social assistance. Alternatively, applicants could become dependent on social assistance after Stage 1. This dependency on social assistance could well be a temporary situation. Or, it could be the result of not having received the authorisation to work in Canada. Thus, by the time the authorities process the application for permanent residence, the applicant could well have become self-sufficient.
Some applicants might still be receiving social assistance even after the officers have concluded all the other processing activities. In this scenario, the authorities could refuse to provide permanent residence, unless various Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) considerations justify the granting of the exemption.
Similarly, in some situations, the officers might find that the applicant meets all the other admissibility criteria prescribed by the authorities. In this situation, they would need to ask the applicant to provide evidence that the applicant no longer receives social assistance.
Situations could arise where it appears likely that the applicant might become self-supporting in the near future. In this scenario, the officers might consider delaying the decision on permanent residence for a short span of time. They would require this time to enable the applicant to provide the relevant evidence of self-sufficiency. If, after the lapse of a few months, the officers find that the applicant is unlikely to become self-supporting in the near future, they would need to make a final decision
