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Canada Sponsorship

Canada provides many immigration programs with promises of family reunions and getting together loved ones. Through this action, Canadians can sponsor their family members to Canada.

What is family class Canada sponsorship?

Canada provides many sponsorship programs for the natives of Canada who want to bring their near and dear ones along with them. Through these strategies, certain family members can get a chance to become permanent citizens of Canada. Family sponsorship is one of the best streams of Canadian immigration. It makes it easy for permanent residents and citizens to bring their partners and family to Canada, which takes less time to process.

Whom can I sponsor to come to Canada?

Spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner

If your spouse, common-law, or conjugal partner is living in Canada with a valid temporary visa or residing in a foreign country, you can sponsor them. An open work visa is allowed for applicants living in Canada, allowing couples to mitigate their financial burdens.

A spousal open work visa allows sponsored human beings to work in Canada while their sponsorship application is processed. Since Canada is known as a common-law partnership, you can apply for spousal sponsorship if you and your spouse are not married yet but have been living together for at least one year.

Parent or grandparent Canada sponsorship

Through the parent and grandparent sponsorship programs, the commitment of Canada to family reunion extends to the parents and grandparents of Canadian inhabitants and permanent residents. To apply the sponsorship to parents and grandparents, the natives and permanent residents need to show that they can support their family financially by meeting the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) for the size of their family units. A super visa and a long- term, multiple-entry visa are the best options for those who cannot support their family permanently.

Child or other dependent Canada sponsorship

If you are migrating to Canada, there is an opportunity for you to include your offspring as accompanying dependents in your application for permanent residence. If you cannot do so, they may still be able to join you in Canada after some time. In Canada, the child sponsorship programs permit the natives of Canada and permanent residents to sponsor their biological or adopted children below the age of 22 for permanent residence, as long as they are unmarried and have no children.

Children are considered dependent over the age of 22, but if they are suffering from any physical or mental problem that prevents them from being able to support themselves.

Orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild

In some specific instances, Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents may be eligible to sponsor their orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild to come to Canada. To sponsor your orphaned relative, they must be unmarried, under 18, and related to you by blood or adoption.

Other relatives (under exceptional circumstances as a "Lonely Canadian")

In some rare circumstances, Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents may be eligible to sponsor one extended relative to come to Canada. Sponsoring a relative outside Canada's current Family Class definition does not appear to modify the subject sponsors. Sponsors must be considered "Lonely Canadians." The sponsor has no spouse, common-law partner, child, parent, or grandparent.

How can I be eligible to sponsor a family member?

To sponsor a family member, you must meet minimum eligibility requirements. Eligible sponsors must:
  • Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Live in Canada, or plan to return to Canada once your spouse or partner becomes a permanent resident of Canada
  • Be able and willing to provide for the basic financial needs of your family member for three years

Who isn't eligible to sponsor a relative?

There are some cases in which a permanent resident or citizen is not eligible to sponsor. If one of the below scenarios apply, a sponsor may be ineligible if they:
  • Are currently in prison
  • Have not paid alimony or child support payments
  • Have declared bankruptcy and are not yet released
  • Received social assistance for reasons other than a disability
  • Failed to pay back an immigration loan, made late payments or missed payments
  • Have previously sponsored another relative and failed to meet the terms of the sponsorship agreement
  • Have been convicted of a violent crime, any offense against a relative or any sexual offense, depending on the details of the case

How much does it cost to sponsor a family member in Canada?

If you are sponsoring your spouse and they have dependent children, or if you are sponsoring your adopted child, a $150 payment will be required for each child included in the application. If you include the spouse or partner of your relative, an additional $1,050 is required. The government processing fees to sponsor a relative in Canada are listed below.
  • Sponsorship fee $75
  • Principal applicant processing fee of $475
  • Right of permanent residence fee $500
  • Biometrics: $85
  • Total: $1135
If the sponsor resides in or intends to reside in Quebec upon the issuance of permanent residence, a fee of $289 will need to be paid in addition to the abovementioned fees.

What is the income requirement for Canadian family sponsorship?

Basic income is needed to apply to sponsorship applications, including parents and grandparents, qualified orphaned near and dear ones, or eligible individuals under the “lonely Canadian” policy.

The person who is sponsoring others should meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) necessary for the size of their family unit and must be offered Canada Revenue Agency-issued Notices of Assessment (NOA) as evidence that they have met the required MNI for at least three consecutive years.

You are not required to show a basic income to sponsor a spouse as in other types of Canadian sponsorship. You need to sign an agreement in which you promise to provide financial support for the basic requirements of your sponsored family member when you sponsor a family member to Canada. This agreement is needed for all sponsorship applications. It acknowledges a sponsor’s promise to pay back social assistance advantages paid to the sponsor and their family members for 20 Years. If any sponsor lives in Quebec, a supplementary undertaking must be signed.

According to the category of sponsorship, the length of the undertaking is decided. The undertaking period is three years for the spousal sponsorship that includes partners and common-law or conjugal partners, and the period is counted from the day the sponsored human becomes a Canadian Permanent Resident.

Canadian natives or permanent residents sponsoring their dependent offspring are not needed to meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI), offered that their dependent child does not have their children. Still, if they have, in that case, the sponsor must meet the MNI needed for the size units of the family.

Do I need a job in Canada to sponsor a family member?

Applicants must meet MNI requirements to sponsor a family member other than a spouse or partner. While a job is not necessarily required, sponsors must provide proof of sufficient income from the past three years to support their sponsored family members.

How long does Canada sponsorship take?

Sponsorship applications take approximately 12 months to process from start to finish. They are typically processed within 12 months, but they can take longer, depending on the nature of your case.
If you have a complicated case or the visa officer requires additional proof of your relationship, your application may experience delays.
The best way to ensure your sponsorship application is processed as quickly as possible is to do it right the first time. The lawyers and legal professionals at Canada have helped thousands of spousal sponsorship candidates.

What other options do I have to bring my family members to Canada?

If there is no option for sponsorship, your near and dear ones may be able to choose any other Canadian immigration program. To get information about the immigration options available to you and your family members, you can take our free online assessment today.

How many relatives can I sponsor in Canada?

The number of eligible family members is unlimited; Canadian permanent residents or natives sponsor those. There is a condition for applicants to submit different applications for each eligible family member sponsored.

Canadian sponsorship background check

All individuals over 18 applying for Canadian permanent residence must provide a Police Clearance Certificate to confirm they are not criminally inadmissible.
Applicants must obtain police clearances from all countries where they have resided for six months or longer since they were 18.

Canadian sponsorship biometrics

Canada requires most immigration applicants to provide biometrics. Use Canada’s online tool to determine if you need to give your biometrics.
After paying your biometric fee when submitting your application, you will receive a letter from IRCC with instructions on how to provide your biometrics.

Canadian sponsorship medical exam

Individuals applying for Canadian permanent residence must undergo a medical exam to ensure they are not medically inadmissible.
You do not need to submit your medical exam with your application. After submitting your sponsorship application, IRCC will provide instructions on how to complete your medical exam.
The medical exam must be with a doctor on IRCC’s list of panel physicians.

How do I check the status of my sponsorship application?

Canada provides a facility to track your application status using Canada’s Permanent Residence Application Tracker Portal only if you have appealed for spousal, common-law, or dependent child sponsorship.
When sponsoring other family members, tracking your application status will depend on the application submission methods you choose online or through email. You can use IRCC’s online tool to learn more about how to check your sponsorship application status.

Is there a deadline for Canadian sponsorship applications?

Eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents may apply to sponsor their spouse or child anytime.
Candidates applying to sponsor their parents or grandparents must be invited to do so and apply within the deadline provided.

Can I sponsor my brother or sister to come to Canada?

It isn’t easy to sponsor your sibling to come to Canada as a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. This may only be done if you meet the criteria for a “Lonely Canadian” or if your siblings can be included as dependents on your parental sponsorship application.

Can I sponsor my fiancé to come to Canada?

Canada does not allow Canadian permanent residents or citizens to sponsor their fiancé to come to Canada. Canadian citizens and permanent residents must get married to apply under the spousal sponsorship category.
Alternatively, sponsoring your fiancé to come to Canada may be possible if they qualify as a common-law partner.

Can I sponsor my friend to come to Canada?

Canada does not offer any program for a permanent resident or citizen to sponsor a friend.
If your friend is interested in immigrating to Canada, they may be eligible under another immigration program.

Is there an age limit for sponsorship in Canada?

Canadian citizens or permanent residents must be at least 18 to sponsor a family member. There is no maximum age limit to sponsor a family member to come to Canada.

Can my spouse or common-law partner work in Canada while processing their inland spousal sponsorship application?

Your partner or common-law partner living in Canada with a valid visa can work in Canada without any objections until their visa expires. The individuals can apply for an open work permit when they live in Canada with a valid study or visitor visa. By this, they are allowed to work during the process of application.