Exceptional Talent in Canada

A discretionary grant for special and unusual hardship exists, but it is rare and has no published criteria. First check carefully whether an ordinary route is open after all, because that beats a discretionary request every time.

The hardship must be both special and unusual, not merely real. Successful requests usually combine a long-standing Canadian connection, a reason outside the person’s control for not meeting the ordinary requirements, and a severe and specific consequence of refusal.

Falling short on days in Canada, missing documents or long processing times are not enough on their own.

The request is made on paper, with the ordinary citizenship forms and a detailed submission evidencing every element. The submission is the application, and there is no appeal on the merits.

Email yourself a summary

Send your result and every answer you gave to your inbox, so you have it when you need it. We're copied on the email, so if you'd like our team to take a closer look, just reply.

Email Address

Notes (Optional)

Email My Summary