1. Documents to support your client’s Humanitarian and Compassionate
Application
You may be assisting a woman to gather documents that her lawyer needs for her
humanitarian and compassionate application. The application will likely include:
• Documents proving she suffered domestic violence here in Canada
• Documents proving that she would experience hardship if sent back to her home
country
• Documents showing she is well-established here in Canada
• Documents relating to any form of inadmissibility (anything that makes the
woman ineligible for permanent residence) A woman can ask the government to
forgive the inadmissibility (called a “exemption”) but she will have to show why
the government should do this.
Your Role:
• Help the woman
o tell her story.
o Gather documents that will support her application
Documents proving she is a victim of Domestic Violence
• police reports
• copies of restraining orders, peace bonds, or other court documents relating to the
domestic violence
• letters from shelter workers, crisis workers, or social workers who can talk about
the abuse and the impact it had on the woman
• a report from a psychologist, clinical counselor, or doctor talking about the
emotional consequences of the abuse
• Letters from friends or family who witnessed the abuse
• A letter from the Children’s Aid Society if they were involved with the family
because of domestic violence
Documents showing Hardship if Required to Leave Canada
• Any articles or reports talking about the kinds of hardship the woman would
experience in her home country.
• Letters from friends or family in the home country talking about the hardship the
woman would experience and why she needs to remain in Canada.

2. Documents showing the Best Interests of the Children
• A letter from the Children’s Aid Society explaining that the Canadian-born
children would go into foster care if their mother has to leave Canada. The letter
can talk about how it would be better for the children if their mother stayed in
Canada with them.
• Letters from friends in Canada who can say how well the children are doing
growing up in Canada
• Letters from the children’s teachers talking about how they are doing in school
and how hard it would be for them to leave their friends and their school
• Letters from any other professional who works with the children like a counselor,
daycare worker, etc, who can say that it would be better for the children to stay in
Canada
Documents showing your client is established
also helpful.
• Copies of pay stubs or tax returns showing income.
• Documents proving that the woman attended language classes or engaged in other
studies in Canada
• Letters from organizations where your client has engaged in volunteer work
• Letters from friends or family in Canada explaining why the woman needs to stay,
and how she contributes to Canadian society
• A letter from the head of any religious group or institution that the woman attends
• A letter from a counselor, social worker, shelter worker, etc, indicating the
progress the woman is making establishing herself in Canada and the steps she is
taking to be self-sufficient
Requesting an Exemption from an Inadmissibility
• Financial inadmissibility: The woman is receiving social assistance. It is
important to get a letter from a counselor or social worker explaining why the
woman had no other option but to receive assistance
• Criminal inadmissibility: It is important to get a letter from a counselor or shelter
worker to explain the context of the relationship and why the woman acted in the
way that she did. The woman’s criminal lawyer can also write a letter explaining
that she acted in self-defense.
• Medical inadmissibility: The woman or child may have a medical condition like
diabetes or a psychiatric illness like schizophrenia. She may need a letter from a
doctor about the need for continuity of treatment and the dangers of the woman
being deported to a country that cannot treat the illness.