Any citizen or permanent resident of Canada has the right to initiate a sponsorship process for a family member living abroad. This allows sponsored persons to easily obtain permanent residence, as long as certain conditions are met.

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Family is very important and the Canadian government knows it very well. Family reunification is something that matters to Canada and the programs available in this category were made for just this purpose.

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Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada who wish to sponsor or sponsor a family member may do so if they meet the following requirements.

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Within this visa category, you can sponsor the following family members:

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• Spouse or common-law partner.​

• Dependent children (dependent children are those children up to 22 years of age who are economically dependent on the parent).​

• Dependent children of your spouse or partner.​

• Parents or grandparents.

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Each category of the Family Sponsorship class has different requirements and processing times. There are certain requirements and obligations that must be fulfilled and the Sponsor and the applicant(s) must be informed of the responsibilities they will have to fulfill.

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A family sponsorship is a fairly lengthy process that requires attention to detail to ensure that the application is fully and convincingly submitted to avoid delays or any obstacles that could jeopardize your application. We suggest you obtain the appropriate professional advice according to your situation.

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Understanding The Family Sponsorship Program in Canada

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Canada is a country that offers many opportunities to all immigrants, from a high-quality education to an excellent healthcare system, professional development and a superior quality of life.

 

The Canadian government wants you to feel welcome and to consider Canada your second home, and they understand that to achieve that feeling, it is extremely important that your family is close to you.

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Family Sponsorship Program Eligibility Requirements

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• You must be a permanent resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen to apply for the Family Sponsorship Program and sponsor certain family members.​

• You must be at least 18 years old.​

• You must live in Canada.​

• You need to be able to financially support your relatives and have the means to cover their basic needs, such as food and housing for a certain period of time.​

• You must show that you have a stable career and enough savings.​

• You must make sure that your relatives do not require social assistance.​

• You are an outstanding citizen, have not been convicted of a violent crime, filed for bankruptcy, or have debt as a result of missed immigration loan payments.​

• You do not receive welfare unless it is due to a disability.

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What Relatives Can You Sponsor Under The Family Sponsorship Program?

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According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Family Sponsorship Program allows you to sponsor your partner, be it a wife or husband, domestic partner or marital partner, your children, parents, grandparents and grandchildren. Under certain conditions, you may be able to sponsor your sisters and/or brothers and other family members. Let's take a look at the various options you could choose to sponsor your relatives.​

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Sponsorship of your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent children

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Your wife or husband or common-law partner, and your children can become Canadian permanent residents, if you apply for this category.

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Fees to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner are $1050 and visa processing times can take around 18 months.

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Meanwhile, the fee to sponsor your children is as low as $150 per child, and processing times also take around 18 months.

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To apply for the program, you must submit a sponsorship application and your spouse, partner, or children must apply for permanent residence.

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The application package includes a list of documents and forms that must be completed and provided to the IRCC for evaluation. These documents must be submitted in full to avoid any rejection or delay. It is important to mention that administrative fees are not refundable.

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After submitting the application, the Canadian authorities will carefully check whether the application is complete in order to proceed with the process. They will judge both your eligibility as a sponsor and the eligibility of your sponsored persons to receive permanent residence. If approved, they will request additional documentation such as biometrics, medical exams, and criminal record clearance certificates for each family member applying for permanent residency

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Sponsoring Your Parents And Grandparents

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You can sponsor your parents or grandparents to Canada if the eligibility prerequisites to do so are met. This is a highly sought after program and there is an annual limit on accepted applications.

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Administrative fees to sponsor a parent or grandparent are $1,050 per person, and processing times can be up to 24 months.

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Before submitting an application, the sponsor is required to submit a specific form called Interest to Sponsor, which, if approved, will allow the sponsor to submit a complete application to the Canadian government. Remember to obtain all the information and documentation required to complete the form correctly.

 

After the government does the evaluation, the IRCC will send an invitation to continue with its process or not.

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In the unlikely event that you are not invited to proceed with the sponsorship process and would still like your sponsored persons to visit Canada, they may apply for a "Super Visa". The "Super Visa" is another program that allows your parents or grandparents to visit Canada multiple times and stay in Canada for up to one year at each visit, for a maximum period of 10 years.

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If you receive the invitation to continue with the sponsorship application, you will be given a period of 60 days to submit the complete application. As with the spouse or child application, you will also need to apply for sponsorship (sponsorship) while your parent or grandparent must apply for the permanent resident visa. Both requests must be submitted at the same time.​

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Sponsorship of other family members under the Family Sponsorship Program

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In very special circumstances, permanent residents of Canada may sponsor other members of their family, such as a sister, brother, niece, nephew, aunt or uncle.

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To sponsor a sister, brother, niece or nephew, the sponsored person must:

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• Be under 18 years of age and both parents are deceased.​

• Be related to the applicant by blood.​

• To be single.​

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The costs to sponsor an adult family member is $1050 and the visa waiting times vary according to each country.

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Meanwhile, the costs to sponsor a family member under the age of 22 are $150 and processing times may vary by country.

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Support To Carry Out This Process

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If you plan to start this sponsorship process, we strongly recommend dealing with an intermediary or consultancy office to avoid errors in the application.

 

The reason is because this process is somewhat convoluted and requires the applicant to receive counseling in order to be able to submit a well-crafted sponsorship application.

 

Although many people prefer to do all the paperwork on their own, we strongly recommend that it is best to seek advice so that the application is submitted correctly.

 

Since we are only a non-profit organization, we unfortunately cannot play the role of intermediary in these processes.

 

However, if you require legal support, we kindly ask you to fill out this questionnaire so that we can recommend one of the service provider offices that we know and have a good reputation, so that you can get in touch.

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