Did you know that from every five people in Canada, one of them is foreign-born? Canadians care about their immigrants and family. They understand family makes people feel better. To improve the conditions of immigrants, the government introduced Canada family sponsorship. Through this program, immigrants can bring their relatives to Canada.
In this article, we will explain who is eligible to sponsor family members, the relatives you can sponsor, eligibility criteria, application process, FAQs, and more.
Who Can You Sponsor Under a Canada Family Sponsorship?
Under the Canada family visa, you can support a few family members. However, they have to fulfill the requirements to be eligible. The people you can support are as follows:
Spouse
You can sponsor your spouse in case:
- The couple must have been legally married.
- The marriage certificate must be available.
- The two couples must be over 18.
Common-law partner
The eligibility criteria for a same-sex partner:
- The partners must be 18 years old.
- They must be a conjugal relationship (have sex together).
- The couple must have lived together for at least one year. It must be steady, not interrupted.
The couple must prove they have lived together. The ways they could do it is through:
- Proof of shared property
- Evidence of a lease or rental agreement
- A form of the document shows the couple has paid utility bills together.
- Formal documents showing the same address:
- driver’s license
- insurance policies
- Etc.
Children (Dependent child)
- The relationship to the child must be proved.
- If adopting a child and the process is in the final stage, you can begin sponsoring the child.
- The child must be under 22.
- He/she mustn’t be married or have a law partner.
- In case the child is over 22, he/she can be eligible if:
- They suffer from a disability and are not able to support themselves.
- He/she has been relying on you financially before turning 22.
Parent & Grandparent
- In case your parents are divorced, you can still sponsor their spouse or law-partner.
- You could also sponsor their dependent child.
- The blood/adopted parents or grandparents are also eligible.
Sibling, Nephew, Niece, Grandchild
In case you intend to sponsor your Sibling, Nephew, Niece, Grandchild under, they have to fulfill the following items:
- The relative must be at least 18 years old.
- There must be a connection by blood or adoption.
- The child’s parens must be deceased. The child becomes ineligible if his/her parents:
- are alive
- missing
- have left the child
- parens are alive, but someone else is responsible for taking care of the child.
- Parents are in jail or prison.
Are you gonna find out how a skilled worker can move to Canada? Read this article.
Who is Eligible for Canada Family Visa?
When you intend to become a sponsor for family members, you have to meet requirements. To be eligible for a Canada family visa, you must comply with the following items:
- Be an adult.
- Have Permanent Residence in Canada or citizens. You must also state to the authorities that you will be living in Canada after sponsoring your relative.
- Possess enough funds to cover expenses for people you are sponsoring.
- You have entered Canada under the Canadian Indian Act.
Who is NOT Eligible for Canada Family Sponsorship?
You are not eligible for Canada family visa if you come in one of the following items:
- You are or have been in prison.
- A removal order has been issued for you.
- Receive social welfare. (You are exempted of this part if you are disabled)
- The applicant has been convicted of a criminal act.
- You have not been able to support expenses for your child.
- The applicant has supported a family member in the past five years.
- You have been a sponsor then became a permanent resident but for less than five years.
- Applicants have sponsored an ex-spouse or partner. He/she has been a permanent resident for less than three years.
- For immigration loans, you:
- Have missed payment.
- Been late in your payments.
- Have been unable to pay loans.
- You have been into bankruptcy.
Application Process for Canada family Sponsorship
The application process for a Canada family visa is as follows:
Canada family visa has two stages to follow:
- You, as the sponsor, apply for your family member.
- The family member or relative has to apply for Canada permanent residence.
Please note that the two stages must proceed at the same time.
If you want to know how to move to Canada as a nurse, read this article.
1. Completing the application package
First, you must download the application form from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada website. Before you start this part, make sure you are eligible. Be careful when you complete the application. The information you put must be correct and true. Along with the application, you must provide the following documents:
- Proof to have enough funds or income.
- The family member must state they will try to cover themselves.
- State formally and on paper to support your relative for a period of time.
- If the relative has a dependent child, you must include all information.
2. Pay fees
The fee for a Canada family visa is as follows:
The applicant is under 22
| Processing fee | C$475 |
| Fee for sponsorship | C$75 |
| The fee for permanent residence | C$490 |
The applicant is 22 or older
| Processing fee | C$475 |
| Sponsorship | C$75 |
The fee for orphan family members, dependent or adopted child is C$150 per child.
Sponsoring parents or grandparent
| Sponsoring your parents or grandparents | C$1,040 |
| Sponsoring the spouse of your parent or grandparent | C$1,040 |
| Sponsoring a dependent child of your parent or grandparent | C$150 |
3. Biometrics
Along with your application, you have to submit your Biometrics. When you submitted the application, biometrics, and the fees, the authorities will send your relative a confirmation letter. The letter informs the relative to submit their biometrics and where to go. Please remember the relative must carry the confirmation letter when submitting biometrics.
4. Submission of application
When you paid the fee according to your status, you have to submit your application. You have to mail the application to the instruction guide in the application form.
5. Processing
In the final stage, you have to wait until your application gets processed. The authorities will inform you of the further procedures to follow.
Processing Time for Canada family Sponsorship
The processing time for Canada family Sponsorship visa depends on different factors. The processing time for spouse, law-partner, and children could take one month. But the required time for parents and grandparents could take three months.
Let’s sum up…
In this blog, we explained all you need to know about Canada family sponsorship.
We have covered who is eligible for Canada sponsorship and who is not, eligibility criteria, the application process, FAQs, and more.
To find out more about the visa that suits you, go through the menu of the site. You can find all the types of Canada visas at the left sidebar.
You can check Visa Library to find more information about other countries’ visas.
In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences as comments is a great help for applicants.
- Published by
- Max-B.