Family Sponsorship
If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident and wish to bring your family members to Canada, you may do so using the Canadian Family Sponsorship Program. Canada is vested in bringing families together using programs such as Family Sponsorship to allow family members of Canadians to apply for permanent residency.
As of January 1, 2017, a total of 10,000 applications will be accepted for parents and grandparents. To bring your parent or grandparent to Canada apply for the SUPER VISA. This does not affect sponsorship applications for spouses, partners, dependent or adopted children and other eligible relatives.
Eligibilities
To be eligible for the Canada Family Sponsorship Program, the sponsored person must fall into one of the following categories:
- Spouses, partners, or dependent children
- Parents, grandparents, siblings, orphaned grandchildren, or nephews/nieces
In addition to this, there are certain qualifications that a sponsor and their family must meet in order to qualify for family sponsorship.
As a sponsor, you must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has not yourself been sponsored in the last five (5) years,
- Be at least 18 years of age,
- Meet the financial requirements for sponsoring a family member (*note that sponsoring a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner does not require a minimum income),
- Take full financial responsibility for the person you are sponsoring. Ensure that your sponsored family member will not require assistance from the Canadian government.
- If you are sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner, you must take financial responsibility for three (3) years from the time they become permanent residents. For dependent children, you must take financial responsibility for ten (10) years or until they turn 25, whichever happens first.
Family members who wish to be sponsored must:
- Have a family member who is a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and whose relationship fits into one of the categories listed above.
- Show that they have plans by which they will be able to financially support themselves and any of their dependents,
- Successfully complete medical, criminal and background screenings.
The process of family sponsorship is complex and often confusing. The federal government requires that you provide a lot of personal information to prove that your intentions are genuine and that a sponsored person will not be a burden or threat to Canadians. As qualified immigration consultants we can help you bring your loved ones into Canada with no hassle. We will assist you in gathering all the necessary information so that your immigration application gets approved quickly.
There are several options available for immigration to Canada under the family sponsorship program and the requirements vary depending on the relationship of the sponsor to the person being sponsored. Sponsoring a spouse or common-law partner is very different from sponsoring any other member of your family. If you are married or in a common-law relationship and are interested in immigration to Canada, our Spousal Sponsorship page can provide you with the information you need to get started.
Having an experienced legal counsel by your side will make the immigration process simple and headache-free. Wherever you are in the immigration process, we can help you move forward. If you have already submitted an application and received a refusal, we can assess your situation and assist you in re-applying.
