FAMILY SPONSORSHIP
FAMILY CLASS
Canadian citizens and permanent residents have the ability to sponsor their family members that live outside of Canada for permanent residence. The Canadian government provides sponsorship opportunities for all applicable family members in order to keep the families together whenever is possible. Canada’s family class sponsorship programs are some of the most generous family reunification programs in the world. The following are family sponsorship programs that are currently available for Canadian citizens or permanent residents and their family members living outside of Canada.
- Spouse, Common Law Partner, and Conjugal Partner Sponsorship
- Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship
- Sponsorship of Children and Other Relatives
Prior to putting together a sponsorship application, it is important that the sponsor meets certain criteria that will make them eligible to sponsor an applicable family member. The most important criteria are:
- The sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- The sponsor must be at least 18 years of age
- The sponsor must not be in any receipt of social assistance other than disability
- The sponsor must reside in Canada or have intent to return (applicable to spousal, common law, and conjugal partner sponsorship)
- The sponsor must not be convicted of attempting, threatening to commit or committing a crime that constitutes a criminal offence in Canada
The person who is being sponsored must also meet certain requirements to be eligible for sponsorship. The main requirement is to ensure that the sponsored person is admissible to Canada on medical and criminal grounds. Meaning that if the sponsored person had previous convictions, depending on severity and how much time has passed since the completion of imposed sentences, the person might be inadmissible to Canada on criminal grounds. Medical grounds require the sponsored person to be in good health and not cause a danger to public health or cause an excessive demand on Canadian health and social services. Please note that medical grounds only apply to parents and grandparents class of sponsorship.
SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP
The Spousal Sponsorship program is one of the Family Class categories. Under this program, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is at least 18 year old may sponsor a spouse or common-law partner for Canadian permanent residence. In order to receive a visa through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the sponsor and sponsored person must meet certain requirements. They must prove that their relationship qualifies under one of the following status: Spouse, common-law partners, or conjugal partners.
To get more details about spousal sponsorship, CLICK HERE
PARENTS SPONSORSHIP
The Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship program is one of the Family Class categories and allows Canadian citizen or permanent resident (who is at least 18 years old) to sponsor a parent or grandparent for Canadian permanent residence. In fact, sponsored family members under this class may be eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship after four years of permanent residency. In order to receive a visa though Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), both the sponsor and the sponsored person must meet certain eligibility requirements. Also, applicants for permanent residence must go through medical, criminal and background checks.
To get more details about parents sponsorship, CLICK HERE
CHILDREN AND RELATIVES SPONSORSHIP
The Dependent Child Sponsorship program allows a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is at least 18 years old to sponsor a dependent child, orphaned close relatives or other relative for Canadian permanent residence. In order to receive a visa through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the sponsor and sponsored person must meet certain requirements. Also, a sponsor must meet set income guidelines. Both the sponsor and the sponsored person must prove that their relationship qualifies under one of the following: Dependent child, orphaned close relatives, or other relative.
To get more details about children and relatives sponsorship, CLICK HERE
