Family Sponsorship
All About Canadian Immigration Family Sponsorship
The Canadian immigration system completely encourages family unification, unlike several other Westernized countries. Following the Second World War, Canada was generous in bringing together families by inviting immigrants, which helped diversify and strengthen its economy. Thousands of foreign nationals frequently explore the family class under the Immigration Levels Plan, the second-largest category of immigrants trooping into Canada.
Canada is progressively opening its borders to newcomers worldwide as it recovers from the global coronavirus pandemic. According to recent estimates, out of the 400,000 immigrants that enter Canada each year, over 100,000 belong to the family class. More than a fourth of new immigrants who enter Canada each year do so with the sponsorship of a member of their immediate family.
The Canadian immigration system is regulated by the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Through Canada’s Family Sponsorship Program, the IRCC, formerly known as Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), continues to assist thousands of Canadian citizens in reuniting with their family members. This is made possible by the immigration department’s creation of the program’s requirements, evaluating candidates for family sponsorship, and issuing residence permits.
Can I Become a Sponsor ?
The following criteria must be met for someone to sponsor the entry of a family member into Canada:
- either Canadian citizens or permanent residents
- not younger than 18 years old
- capable of supporting their sponsored invitations financially for years
Who Can I sponsor ?
- Common-law partners and spouses
- Dependent children
- Parents and grandparents
Over the years, as immigration applications became a little more complicated, the IRCC included a few exceptions to this criteria. Sponsors can now extend invitations to non-immediate relatives such an uncle, cousin, nephew, or niece to visit Canada as long as:
- Don't have any extra members of your immediate family to sponsor,
- The invitation meets the IRCC's criteria of a dependent child or is legally adopted.
Income Requirements to Qualify as Sponsor
To start the Family Sponsorship Program, all sponsors and sponsored family members must provide the required documentation and sign the sponsorship agreement. By signing the contracts, sponsors confirm to the Government of Canada that they know the financial support requirements for their families. Every sponsor is expected to independently provide for their family’s housing, food, clothes, and medical needs.
The IRCC demands that candidates meet the following Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) criteria for particular sponsorship programs:
- Sponsoring a common-law partner or spouse who is the parent of one dependent child and has a dependent child of their own
- Parenting at least one additional dependent child while supporting a dependent child
- Sponsoring a parent or grandparent
What Does Sponsorship Undertaking Mean?
The Family Sponsorship Program in Canada includes the execution of a formal “undertaking” agreement that places all responsibility for the sponsored person’s care in the hands of the sponsor. Applicants must be prepared to pay back this tax if the sponsored family member ever needs social assistance from the Canadian government.
The agreement’s provisions remain in effect as long as the sponsored family member resides in the country. The requirements of the undertaking continue to apply even if the applicant’s residency or citizenship status changes, making applicants entirely responsible for supporting their sponsored family members. The provisions of the undertaking remain in effect even if the applicant and their common-law partner divorce for some reason.
The IRCC recently changed the conditions of the undertaking to make it a fair contract for immigrants by making it time-dependent. For various sponsored family members, the length of the undertaking is as follows:
- Immigrant spouses and their common-law partners: three years
- Dependent child(ren): 10 years old or younger than 20 years old: 5 years
- dependent child(ren) of 22 years of age or older - 3 years
- grandparents or parents - 20 years
- Other relatives- 10 years
Spouse or Common-law Partner Sponsorship
Permanent residents or Canadian Citizens can sponsor:
The IRCC demands that candidates meet the following Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) criteria for particular sponsorship programs:
- Their spouses (with the condition that they are legally married)
- Their conjugal partners without being married to them but are willing to present proof of living together for at least 12 years
- Their conjugal partners without being married to them but reside outside of Canada
The only way for applicants to determine whether they qualify for the common-law partner or spousal sponsorship is if they:
- Are Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are 18 years old
- Provide credible evidence that they can support their sponsored family members financially.
- Provide the IRCC with genuine proof of their marital or spousal relationships.
How Family Sponsorship works?
01
Inland
The Canadian Family Sponsorship Program's inland option allows candidates to sponsor relatives, spouses, or common-law partners living in Canada. While their requests to apply for permanent residency are being considered, candidates can continue to live in Canada by using this sponsorship option. Common-law spouses or partners can stay in Canada due to their Temporary Resident Visa (TRV).
02
Outland
With this option, you can apply to sponsor family members living abroad for immigration. Usually, the consulate or embassy of the applicant's country of origin processes the application. Accepting their permanent resident permits may require outland-sponsored family members to patiently wait before arriving in Canada. The program allows conjugal visits to their potential sponsors here in Canada because they reside abroad.
Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship
The Super Visa Program or the Parent & Grandparent Sponsorship Program (PGP) is available to applicants who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents. These family-sponsored immigration programs allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their parents and grandparents.
Only those individuals who are citizens or permanent residents are qualified for the PGP when they:
- Are at least 18 years old
- Are the people they are sponsoring their children or grandchildren
- Meet the minimum necessary income (MNI) requirements for the size of their family unit.
- Evidence from the Canada Revenue Agency's issued notice of assessment in a tender
- They are willing to sign sponsorship agreements acknowledging their duty to serve as the sole source of support for their parents and grandparents for 20 years.
- Are willing to sign a contract if they live in QUEBEC
The program encourages co-signatures of the agreement with the sponsored family members to allow for flexibility. However, for this to continue to be legitimate and acceptable, co-signers must fulfill the following criteria to ensure that their permanent residence visa will be processed:
- A sponsored family member is ineligible to co-sign.
- The co-signer must not have lived with the applicants for at least a year as a couple.
