The Privy Council of Canada has been in existence since 1867. The members of the Privy Council are the Prime Minister and heads or ministers of federal government departments of the administration of the day. Within that group are the members of the Cabinet. The Governor General acts on the advice of the Cabinet, not of the whole Council. 

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An Order in Council is a recommendation of Cabinet that is approved and signed by the Governor General. An Order in Council is not discussed by Parliament before it is implemented. It can contain decisions about federal appointments, transactions between the government and the private sector and other important policy items.

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Library and Archives Canada has a searchable database of Orders in Council from 1867 to 1924 that can be accessed here.

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The Privy Council Office has a searchable database for Orders in Council from 1990 to the present.

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The Orders in Council that contain the names on our website are not available on-line.  The original paper copies can be consulted at Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa.  They are also available on microfilm reels held at Library and Archives Canada. 

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At the bottom of each of our photographs, we have inserted a credit slip showing the date the Order in Council was approved, which box or volume contains that Order in Council and also which microfilm reel contains the images of that Order in Council.

Before 1930, immigration to Canada was encouraged and there was no need for the Privy Council to approve lists of immigrants being allowed to come to Canada. With the advent of the Great Depression and the resulting loss of jobs, Canadian immigration regulations were changed to restrict the number of immigrants.

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Under the new immigration regulations, the following people were allowed to enter Canada without the permission of the Privy Council:

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• British subjects with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• American citizens with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• Prospective farmers from any country with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• The wife, and children under the age of 18, of a naturalized Canadian man.

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If a naturalized Canadian wanted to sponsor an immigrant other then their wife or children under the age of 18, he had to appeal to the Privy Council to waive the new regulations. 

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The Orders in Council with lists that we have indexed were created to request the Privy Council to waive or make exceptions to the new immigration regulations and allow the specified immigrants to come to Canada.

 

The sponsor in Canada had to provide proof that they could support the new immigrant and that the immigrant would not take employment away from a Canadian. As a result, the second part of the list described the type of work the sponsor had, where he was employed and even how much money he had in his bank account. 

 

The immigrants on these lists were approved to come to Canada for only five months.  If the immigrant could not arrange their passage to Canada within that time, they had to re-apply.

 

Until 1937 many of the immigrants were women being sponsored by their fiancés who were living and working in Canada. In 1937 the regulations were changed to allow a naturalized Canadian man to sponsor his fiancée. As a result, the names of fiancées don't appear in the lists after 1937.

 

Many of the immigrants being approved were already living in Canada as visitors but had decided to stay permanently.

Under The Immigration Regulations of 1930, the following people were allowed to enter Canada without the permission of the Privy Council:

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•  British subjects with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• American citizens with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• Prospective farmers from any country with enough money to sustain themselves until they found employment.

• The wife, and children under the age of 18, of a naturalized Canadian man.

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After 1937, the fiancé of a naturalized Canadian man was permitted to enter Canada without the permission of the Privy Council.

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After the Second World War, specific numbers of people within the following groups were permitted to enter Canada without the permission of the Privy Council:

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• People from Displaced Person camps.

• Ex-members of the Polish Armed Forces.

• Citizens of Malta.

• Terrazzo workers from Italy.

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If your ancestor was in any of these categories, their name will not be on these lists.   

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You may not be able to find your ancestor because the spelling of names in the lists may not be the spelling you are familiar with.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada

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Submit an Access to Information request to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada asking for any and all documents they have about each one of your ancestors who came to Canada. The cost is $5.00 for each request but you may receive a great deal of information.

The Access to Information form can be found here.

•  The FAQ link on that page should answer your questions about the form and who can apply for information.

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Library and Archives Canada (LAC)

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The genealogy and reference section of LAC provides free service to researchers.  Complete their "Ask Us a Genealogy Question" form using this link.

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LAC also has a searchable database of naturalization certificates up to 1951. The information you receive when you ask for a certificate may be very helpful in your genealogy research.  Instructions on how to search for a certificate and order copies are shown here.

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In addition, LAC holds an extensive collection of Canadian city directories. These contain alphabetical lists of the persons or businesses at an address in that city, the occupation of the head of the household, whether they own or rent their home and possibly other information. You can ask the reference staff for a free lookup in these here.  

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Be sure to include identifying details such as names, dates, city or town name and addresses if you know them. Keep in mind, however, that LAC has limited resources and cannot do comprehensive searches for you.

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Finally, if you would like to contact a professional researcher at LAC, we can recommend Hagit Hadaya who has an excellent knowledge of their collections. Hagit can be reached at hadayah@outlook.com.