Published
October 3, 2026
First Nations people removed from their homes by child welfare authorities between April 1, 1991 and March 31, 2022, and the parents or grandparents caring for them at the time, may qualify to claim up to $40,000 CAD each from the First Nations Child and Family Services class action settlement. Those two classes close March 10, 2028 for people who were adults when claims opened; the Jordan’s Principle and Trout classes are not yet accepting claims.
Current Status
Claims are open for two of the settlement’s nine classes: the Removed Child Class and the Removed Child Family Class. People who were already at the age of majority when the claims period opened on March 10, 2025 have until March 10, 2028 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time; people who were younger have age-based deadlines described below. The other seven classes — including the Jordan’s Principle and Trout classes — had no open claims process as of October 3, 2026. The Federal Court approved the settlement on October 24, 2023, and Removed Child payments are being issued as claims are approved: the Assembly of First Nations reported in August 2026 that more than 30,000 Removed Children had been paid over $1.2 billion. Removed Child Family payments are not scheduled to begin until after March 10, 2029.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
Removed Child & Removed Child Family classes only
Claim Deadline
March 10, 2028
For adults at March 10, 2025 · later age-based deadlines for minors
Estimated Payout
Up to $40,000 CAD
Base payment per eligible person · additional payments possible
Proof Required
Yes
Copy of government-issued ID · relationship records for some claimants
What Changed Recently?
On August 17, 2026, the Assembly of First Nations announced that more than 30,000 First Nations people who were removed from their homes as children had received compensation, totaling more than $1.2 billion. The same release confirmed that claims are being accepted in only two of the nine classes, that the March 10, 2028 deadline applies to people who reached the age of majority by March 10, 2025, and that Removed Child Family payments will start after the one-year extension window closes on March 10, 2029.The settlement resolves three Federal Court class actions against the Government of Canada and the related Canadian Human Rights Tribunal proceeding. The Tribunal had found that Canada’s underfunding of First Nations child and family services on reserve and in the Yukon, and its narrow approach to Jordan’s Principle, were discriminatory, and it ordered compensation; the Federal Court upheld those compensation orders in 2021 (2021 FC 969). Canada agreed to pay $23,343,940,000 into a trust to fund all nine classes, and the Federal Court approved the agreement on October 24, 2023 (2023 FC 1466). The court separately approved the claims process for the Removed Child and Removed Child Family classes, which opened on March 10, 2025.
Who Qualifies?
Removed Child Class. First Nations individuals who, while under the age of majority, were removed from their homes by child welfare authorities between April 1, 1991 and March 31, 2022. At the time of removal, the child or at least one caregiving parent or grandparent must have been ordinarily resident on reserve or living in the Yukon, and the placement must have been funded by Indigenous Services Canada. Children who were Crown wards, and children who were removed and later returned home, may qualify. The class does not include Métis or Inuit children, removals in the Northwest Territories or Nunavut, children who left home without child welfare involvement and without an ISC-funded placement, or children who stayed home under court supervision without being removed.Removed Child Family Class. The caregiving parents or caregiving grandparents — biological, adoptive, or a First Nations stepparent — who were living with the child, were exercising parental responsibility, and were the people the child was first removed from. A First Nations stepparent must have lived with the child’s biological parent and supported the child for at least three years before the removal. Siblings, other relatives (unless they adopted the child), non-caregiving parents and grandparents, and foster parents are not eligible for individual compensation in this class.
Classes that are not open. The Kith Child, Kith Family, Jordan’s Principle, Jordan’s Principle Family, Trout Child, Trout Family and Essential Service classes are part of the same settlement but each needs its own court-approved claims process. The official settlement website lists all seven as “not yet available.” This page covers only the two open classes.
How Much Can You Get?
The Administrator describes base compensation of up to $40,000 CAD per eligible Removed Child, and up to $40,000 CAD per eligible associated Removed Child for a caregiving parent or grandparent, noting that individual amounts may be more or less depending on circumstances. Some claimants in both classes may also receive additional payments, which in the Removed Child Class can include interest; no extra step on the claim form is required to be considered for them.In the Removed Child Family Class, no more than two base payments are made for the same child. When more than two caregivers claim for one child, priority goes to the people the child was first removed from; if that cannot be confirmed, the order is caregiving parents who are not stepparents, then caregiving grandparents, then First Nations stepparents. Two eligible stepparents share a single base payment. Caregivers who had more than one child removed and placed off reserve with non-family may be eligible for more than one payment.
Timing differs by class. Removed Child claims from people over the age of majority are processed as they arrive, and approved claimants have 60 days after their approval letter to choose direct deposit or a mailed cheque. Removed Child Family claims are assessed only after the Ultimate Claims Deadline — the three-year claims period plus one year for extension requests — because the Administrator must see every competing caregiver claim before deciding who is eligible.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
There is no notice ID or claim code. Every claimant must include a copy (photocopy, scan or photo) of an approved form of government-issued identification, front and back; originals are not accepted. Eligibility is then checked against Indigenous Services Canada’s records, and a claimant whose records cannot yet be found may receive an “inconclusive” letter while that database is updated.Additional documents are required in some situations. A Removed Child Family claimant who is not First Nations, or who is not biologically related to the child, must provide records showing the relationship, such as adoption records. Representatives of a person under disability or of someone who has died must provide identification for both themselves and the class member, plus documents showing their relationship or legal authority. Online filing also requires creating an account on the Claims Portal.
What Is the Deadline?
For people who were at or over the age of majority on March 10, 2025, the deadline is March 10, 2028 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time in both open classes. The age of majority is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan, and 19 in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and the Yukon, based on where the claimant currently lives.A person who was under the age of majority on March 10, 2025 has three years from the date they reach it. A claim can be submitted up to two years before that birthday, but compensation is paid only after the claimant reaches the age of majority. Representatives of deceased class members of any age must file by March 10, 2028, unless the class member died after March 10, 2025 while still a minor, in which case the deadline is three years from the date of death.
A one-year extension can be requested when personal circumstances prevent filing within the three-year period; extensions are decided by the Administrator, and the request form is to be posted before March 10, 2028. Separately, missing information flagged by the Administrator must arrive by the later of six months after the claimant’s deadline or six months after the request.
How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed through the official First Nations Child Claims website, which links to the online Claims Portal and to fillable PDF versions of each form. Paper forms can also be returned by the methods listed on that page; couriered forms are not accepted.- Claim Form A — a Removed Child filing for themselves, or a personal representative of a Removed Child who is a person under disability.
- Claim Form B — the representative of a deceased Removed Child.
- Claim Form C — a caregiving parent or grandparent filing for themselves, or their personal representative (Removed Child Family filing page).
- Claim Form D — the representative of a deceased caregiving parent or grandparent.
Every person files their own claim, and a separate form is needed for each class. Family members and guardians cannot file for an adult class member unless they are a legally appointed representative or an eligible heir. Free Claims Helpers, arranged through the Administrator, assist with forms and with obtaining identification, and the Hope for Wellness Help Line offers mental health and wellness support at any hour.
What Happens Next?
Removed Child claims continue to be assessed and paid on a rolling basis. Removed Child Family claims will not be decided until after March 10, 2029, the end of the extension window, with payments to follow. The Federal Court approved a separate process for incarcerated class members on April 1, 2026. For the seven classes that are not open, no claims-opening date had been announced as of October 3, 2026; each requires a further Federal Court approval before claims can be filed.Sources and Verification
- First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement — official website
- The Class — status of all nine classes
- Removed Child Class — eligibility and deadlines and compensation
- Removed Child Family Class — eligibility and compensation
- Assembly of First Nations release, August 17, 2026
- Legal Documents — Final Settlement Agreement, Settlement Agreement Approval Order (2023 FC 1466), claims process approval orders and the order appointing the Administrator
Questions
Are the Jordan’s Principle and Trout classes open for claims?
The claims processes for the Jordan’s Principle, Jordan’s Principle Family, Trout Child, Trout Family, Kith Child, Kith Family and Essential Service classes had not opened as of October 3, 2026. Each of the nine classes needs its own claims process approved by the Federal Court, and the official settlement website lists those seven as not yet available. Only the Removed Child and Removed Child Family classes are accepting claims.
Does a Removed Child Family claim reduce what the Removed Child receives?
The Assembly of First Nations and the Administrator say the two classes are paid from different funds, so a claim by a caregiving parent or grandparent does not take compensation away from the Removed Child. The settlement agreement sets a $7.25 billion budget for the Removed Child Class and a separate $5.75 billion budget for the Removed Child Family Class.
What happens when someone qualifies in more than one class?
A separate claim form is required for each class. Amounts are not added together across classes: a person found eligible in more than one class receives the single highest amount they qualify for, with any amount already paid under another class counted toward that total.
Can a claim be made for a Removed Child who has died?
A legally appointed estate representative, or an eligible heir where there is no appointed representative, can submit a Removed Child claim for a person who has died. For a deceased Removed Child of any age the deadline is March 10, 2028, except where the child died after March 10, 2025 while under the age of majority, in which case the deadline is three years from the date of death.
Does the reason a child was removed affect eligibility?
The reason for the removal does not affect eligibility in the Removed Child Class. In the Removed Child Family Class, a caregiving parent or grandparent whose abuse led to the child’s removal is not eligible for compensation in relation to that child. The settlement agreement’s definition of abuse for this purpose does not include neglect or emotional maltreatment.
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Settlement Amount
$23.34 billion CAD
All nine classes · $7.25B Removed Child and $5.75B Removed Child Family budgets
Case Title
Moushoom v. Canada (Attorney General); Assembly of First Nations v. Canada; Assembly of First Nations and Trout v. Canada
Case Number
T-402-19, T-141-20, T-1120-21
Court
Federal Court of Canada
Final Approval Hearing
Approved October 24, 2023
2023 FC 1466 · claims opened March 10, 2025
Administrator
Deloitte
Official Website
FN Child Claims
