Immigrate to Canada through Canadian Family Class Sponsorship
Canada has one of the most generous family reunification programs in the developed world. The government is committed to keep families together whenever possible and prioritizes the processing of sponsorship applications. Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor close family members for Canadian immigration.
Close family members include your spouse, partner, parents, grandparents and dependent children.
Types of Family Class Sponsorship:
Spousal/Common Law Partner Sponsorship ‘In Canada Class’
Spousal/Common Law Partner Sponsorship from Outside Canada
Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship
Provincial Family Class Sponsorship
Dependent Child and Other Relatives Sponsorship
Some of these sponsorship categories has a yearly cap attached to them. In case the maximum limit has been reached in the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship, there is another option known as the Parent and Grand Parent Super Visa.
In case of Family Class Sponsorship, the person sponsoring (Sponsor) and the person being sponsored (Principal Applicant) have separate eligibility criteria.
Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents of Canada are allowed to sponsor their family members to come to Canada and become Permanent Residents of Canada. There are two main stages of sponsorship process:
Sponsor must be eligible of sponsoring a foreign family member
Foreign family member should be eligible to immigrate to Canada as a family class member
If all the sponsorship process requirements are met, the Permanent Resident of Canada or Canadian citizen is allowed to sponsor the following categories of family members:
Spouse of opposite or same sex
Dependent children, including adopted children
Common-law partner of opposite same sex
Conjugal Partner and dependent children of the conjugal partner
Parents (and their dependent children)
Grandparents
Unmarried brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchildren who are orphans, under the age of 18 and who are not married or in a common law relationship.
Another relative, if the sponsor has no living spouse or common-law partner, conjugal partner, a son or daughter, parent, grandparent, sibling, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece who could be sponsored as a member of the family class.
Spousal, Common-law Partner and Conjugal Partner Sponsorship
N.B.: Sponsored spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners, must remain in a relationship with the partner whose sponsoring them at least for two years from the date of conditional permanent resident status is obtained. This condition is not applicable, if the foreign spouse or conjugal partner:
had been married for more than two years, or
had been in a conjugal relationship for more than two years, or
had children with the sponsor
SPOUSAL SPONSORSHIP CANADA
In order to sponsor a foreign spouse, proper evidence showing valid marriage should be presented. Opposite or same sex marriage that happened outside Canada should be valid both under the laws of the country where the couple married and under the laws of Canada.
National and International applications have been combined as one application package, meaning spouses, common-law partners and conjugal partners will now use a single application kit.
The document checklist has been made more personalized meaning the applicants can use one for four checklists to find out which forms and documents they need to submit.
The relationship questionnaire has been made more clearer meaning there are fewer questions and they have been simplified.
The family class will no more undergo an up-front medical test. Medical examinations will be issued during the processing of the application, which must be done within 30 days. Failure to comply with this request within 30 days may result in the refusal of the application.
Police certificates are required at the time of application of spouse visa for all applicants 18 years of age or older. It can be either the current country you have been residing for 6 months or more. Or the country where you have spent most of your adult life, since the age of 18.
COMMON-LAW PARTNER SPONSORSHIP
A common law partner is one who;
Isn’t legally married to you
Can be either sex
Has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months.
The documentation you submit for a common law sponsorship is more complex then a spousal sponsorship. In addition to these requirements, you will need to demonstrate the additional factor of cohabitation.
A foreign common-law partner should be in a conjugal relationship for more than one year with the sponsor before applying for foreign common-law partner to join him/her in Canada.
CONJUGAL PARTNER SPONSORSHIP
If heterosexual or homosexual couples are unable to get married due to some reasons which are beyond anyone’s control, then they would be considered as conjugal partners for immigration purposes. Their relation should meet certain requirements before applying for conjugal partner to immigrate to Canada. The relationship criteria are as follows:
To apply for Conjugal Partner Visa, one must have to prove an ongoing and genuine relationship for at least 1 year, with a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident living in Canada.
Applicants must also have combined their affairs to the extent possible with their Canadian partner and show that cohabitation was not possible due to reasons outside their control.
Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples are eligible or this visa.
The Canadian sponsor must also sign an undertaking to provide all basic needs required by the partner for the duration of 3 years from the partner’s arrival to Canada.
The conjugal partners will be required to undergo medical and character checks prior to their arrival in Canada.
PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS SPONSORSHIP
A Canadian Citizen or a permanent resident who is at-least 18 years of age, can sponsor parents to Canada. A parental sponsor has many responsibilities that you should be concerned about. You must be able to financially support the person you sponsored so that they do not seek social assistance from the government.
You are eligible to sponsor a parent or grandparent if you;
Be 18 years of age
A Canadian Citizen, person registered in Canada as an India under the Canadian Indian Act, or Permanent Residence of Canada
Meet certain income requirements
Support that person and their dependents financially
DEPENDENT CHILD SPONSORSHIP
If you are a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada and seek to be reunited with your dependents abroad, this is the category you fall in.
Children qualify as dependents if they meet both of these requirements:
They are under 22 years old, and
They don’t have a spouse or partner
If the dependent is 22 years old or older, they need to meet both of the following requirements:
They have dependent on their parents for financial support since the age of 22, and
They are unable to financially support themselves because of a mental or physical condition.
Our professionals at Axis Immigration will help you go through the complex procedures of family sponsorship. Our immigration specialists will help you in every process of immigration to ensure your success. You can rely on us for all your immigration needs in Edmonton.
What is Spousal Sponsorship?
“To see families are reunited in Canada” – IRPA 3(1)(d)
Canadian immigration law allows Canadian permanent residents and citizens to sponsor their spouse. You can sponsor a dependent child at the same time when you sponsor your spouse. There are some differences when your spouse is in Canada vs. overseas.
Who can sponsor their spouse?
For spousal sponsorship applications both the sponsor and the spouse are assessed. Genuineness of the marriage or relationship is one of the most important criteria.
Many of the requirements will depend on whether you live in Quebec or outside of Quebec. The most common requirements are highlighted below. In most cases, there is no income requirement to sponsor your spouse or dependent children.
Firstly, must be at least 18 years old.
Must be a Canadian citizen of a permanent resident.
And, must not be receiving social assistance other than from disability.
Must provide basic needs of the persons you sponsor.
What is the govt. processing fee?
The government processing fee is $1,040 for spouse or partner and $150 for a child.
What is the processing time?
The processing time depends on various factors such as in Canada or outside. Average is 12 months.
Few things to keep in mind!
Here are few very important points to keep in mind for spousal sponsorship and sponsoring dependent children.
Dependent children must be under 22 years of age at the submission of the application.
Your sponsor must not be inadmissible to Canada.
If you have more than one spouse, you can only sponsor one.
For 3 years you are financially responsible for your spouse.
For children under 13 years of age you are responsible for 10 years.
And, for children from 13 to 19 years, you are responsible until they turn 22 years old.
For children over 19 years of age, you are responsible for 3 years.
If you were sponsored as a spouse, you may not sponsor a new spouse or partner for 5 years.