Only two of the nine classes in the First Nations Child and Family Services settlement are taking claims right now — the Removed Child Class and the Removed Child Family Class — and for anyone who was already an adult when claims opened, both close March 10, 2028. Base compensation is up to $40,000 CAD per eligible person, and the Assembly of First Nations reported in August 2026 that more than 30,000 Removed Children had already been paid over $1.2 billion.
Status: Approved October 24, 2023; Removed Child and Removed Child Family claims open since March 10, 2025 | Claim deadline March 10, 2028, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (adults as of March 10, 2025) | Up to $40,000 CAD base payment
Where the Settlement Stands
The settlement resolves three Federal Court class actions against the Government of Canada — Moushoom v. Canada (Attorney General), Assembly of First Nations v. Canada and Assembly of First Nations and Trout v. Canada (T-402-19, T-141-20, T-1120-21) — along with a 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 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 claims process for the two open classes was approved separately and opened on March 10, 2025. Deloitte is the Administrator.
On August 17, 2026, the Assembly of First Nations announced that more than 30,000 people removed from their homes as children had received compensation totalling more than $1.2 billion.
The Seven 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 belong to the same settlement, but each needs its own court-approved claims process. The official class page lists all seven as “not yet available,” and no opening date had been announced as of October 3, 2026. Everything below applies only to the two open classes.
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. Crown wards, and children who were removed and later returned home, may qualify. The reason for the removal does not affect eligibility.
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 lived with the child, exercised 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. A caregiver whose abuse led to the removal is not eligible in relation to that child; the agreement’s definition of abuse for this purpose does not include neglect or emotional maltreatment.
How Much, and When
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 individual amounts may be more or less depending on circumstances. Some claimants may also receive additional payments, which in the Removed Child Class can include interest; no extra step on the form is needed to be considered.
No more than two base payments are made for the same child in the family class. When more than two caregivers claim for one child, priority goes to the people the child was first removed from; failing that, caregiving parents who are not stepparents, then caregiving grandparents, then First Nations stepparents. Two eligible stepparents share one payment. A caregiver who had more than one child removed and placed off reserve with non-family may receive more than one payment.
The two classes are paid from separate budgets — $7.25 billion for the Removed Child Class and $5.75 billion for the Removed Child Family Class — so a caregiver’s claim does not reduce what the child receives. The timing is very different:
| Removed Child | Claims from adults are processed as they arrive. Approved claimants have 60 days after the approval letter to choose direct deposit or a mailed cheque. |
| Removed Child Family | Not decided until after March 10, 2029, the end of the one-year extension window, because the Administrator must see every competing caregiver claim first. |
Deadlines by Age
For people at or over the age of majority on March 10, 2025, the deadline is March 10, 2028 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. 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 lives now.
Someone who was a minor on March 10, 2025 has three years from the date they reach the age of majority, and can file up to two years before that birthday, although payment comes only after it. Representatives of deceased class members 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 on time; the Administrator decides those requests.
Proof and How to File
There is no notice ID. Every claimant sends a copy (photocopy, scan or photo) of approved government-issued identification, front and back; originals are not accepted. Eligibility is checked against Indigenous Services Canada records, and a claimant whose records cannot yet be found may receive an “inconclusive” letter while that database is updated. A family-class claimant who is not First Nations, or not biologically related to the child, must provide relationship records such as adoption papers.
Removed Children file on the Removed Child filing page using Claim Form A (for themselves or a person under disability) or Form B (for a deceased Removed Child). Caregivers use the Removed Child Family filing page with Form C, or Form D for a deceased caregiver. Each person files their own claim, with a separate form for each class. Online filing requires a Claims Portal account; paper forms are accepted by the methods listed, but not by courier. Free Claims Helpers assist with forms and ID, and the Hope for Wellness Help Line offers support at any hour. The Federal Court also approved a separate process for incarcerated class members on April 1, 2026. More detail is on the First Nations child welfare settlement page on OpenClassActions.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I file a Jordan’s Principle or Trout class claim yet?
No. As of October 3, 2026, only the Removed Child and Removed Child Family classes were accepting claims. The other seven classes each need a Federal Court-approved claims process before anyone can file.
Does a parent’s claim reduce the child’s payment?
No. The Removed Child Class and the Removed Child Family Class are paid from separate budgets of $7.25 billion and $5.75 billion, so a caregiver’s claim does not take money from the Removed Child.
What if I qualify in more than one class?
You file a separate form for each class, but amounts are not added together. You receive the single highest amount you qualify for, with anything already paid under another class counted toward it.
When will caregiving parents be paid?
Removed Child Family claims are not decided until after March 10, 2029, the end of the extension window, with payments to follow.
Can a claim be made for someone who has died?
Yes. A legally appointed estate representative, or an eligible heir where none is appointed, can file. The deadline is March 10, 2028, unless the class member died after March 10, 2025 while a minor, in which case it is three years from the date of death.
Sources
- First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement — official website, including class status, eligibility and compensation pages.
- Assembly of First Nations release, August 17, 2026.
- Legal Documents — Final Settlement Agreement, approval order (2023 FC 1466) and claims process orders.
- OpenClassActions.com — First Nations Child and Family Services Settlement.
Source and credit: the settlement terms, deadlines and benefit details described above are drawn from our sister site’s reporting — OpenClassActions.com: First Nations Child Welfare Settlement — Up to $40,000 CAD — which tracks this case against the court-approved notice and the official settlement website and is updated as the court rules.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm and not the settlement administrator, and is not affiliated with any party to the case described. The allegations are allegations; unless a court has ruled, the defendants deny wrongdoing and no court has decided the merits. Deadlines, benefit amounts and payment timing can change as the court and the administrator act, so confirm current status on the official settlement website. You never need to pay anyone to file a claim or to receive a settlement payment.