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Family Sponsorship

Effective December 22, 2014, eligible spouses or common-law partners have the opportunity to work in Canada while they wait for their application for permanent residence to be processed.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue open work permits to certain spouses or common-law partners who are applying for permanent residence from inside Canada, before the approval in principle decision on their application is made.

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada and at least 18 years old, you can sponsor certain relatives to come to Canada under the Family Class. These can be:

  • your spouse,
  • your conjugal or common-law partner,
  • your dependent child (this includes an adopted child) or
  • other eligible relatives.

If your family member can become a permanent resident, they can live, study and work in Canada.

Sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children to come to Canada as permanent residents.

If you sponsor a family member to immigrate to Canada, you must provide proof that you can:

  • meet basic needs—such as food, clothing and shelter—for yourself and your family,
  • support your relative financially and
  • make sure your spouse or relative does not need to ask for financial help from the government

Your family member must have medical, criminal and background checks. If they have a criminal record or are a risk to Canada’s security, they may not be allowed to enter Canada.

They may have to get a police certificate in their home country.

Sponsor your parents and grandparents

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor your parents or grandparents to become permanent residents under the Family Class.

Your parents and grandparents may also be eligible to visit Canada for up to two years at a time under the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa.

If you sponsor your parent or grandparent to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must make every reasonable effort to provide for your own essential needs and those of your parent or grandparent. You are responsible for supporting your parent or grandparent financially when he or she arrives. As a sponsor, you must make sure your parent or grandparent does not need to seek social assistance from the government.

There must be a sponsor for any relative immigrating to Canada within the Family Class. Both the person sponsoring a relative and the person wishing to immigrate to Canada must meet certain requirements.

Applicants for permanent residence must go through medical, criminal and background checks. An applicant with a criminal record may not be allowed to enter Canada. People who pose a risk to Canada’s security are also not allowed to enter Canada. An applicant may have to provide a certificate from police authorities in the home country.

To be a sponsor:

  • You and the sponsored relative must sign a sponsorship agreement that commits you to provide financial support for your relative if necessary. This agreement also states that the person becoming a permanent resident will make every effort to support themselves. Dependent children under age 22 do not have to sign this agreement. Quebec residents must sign an “undertaking” with the province of Quebec—a contract binding the sponsorship.
  • You must promise to provide financial support for the relative and any other eligible relatives accompanying them for a period of three to ten years, depending on their age and relationship to you. This time period begins on the date they become a permanent resident.

Sponsor your adopted children and other eligible relatives

If you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you may be able to sponsor a relative to become a permanent resident under the Family Class.

If you sponsor a relative to come to Canada as a permanent resident, you must:

  • be able to meet basic needs—such as food, clothing and shelter—for yourself and your relative,
  • support your relative financially when he or she arrives, and
  • make sure your spouse or relative does not need to ask for financial help from the government.

If you have relatives who want to immigrate to Canada under the Family Class, you must sponsor them. You and your relatives must meet certain requirements.

Your relatives must have medical, criminal and background checks. They may not be allowed to enter Canada if they have a criminal record or are a risk to Canada’s security. They may have to get a police certificate from police in their home country.

To be a sponsor you must:

  • meet set income guidelines, and
  • agree in writing to give financial support to your relative and any other eligible relatives coming with them for up to 10 years, depending on their age and how you are related. (This time period begins on the date they become a permanent resident.)

The person you sponsor must promise to try to support themselves. Dependent children under age 19 do not have to sign this agreement.

If you live in Quebec, you must also meet Quebec’s conditions to be a sponsor after Citizenship and Immigration Canada approves you as a sponsor. For instance, you must sign an “undertaking” with the province—a contract that binds the sponsorship.

If you are a Canadian citizen who lives abroad and you plan to return to Canada when your relatives immigrate, you may sponsor your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children who have no dependent children.

To sponsor any other eligible relatives, you must live in Canada.

Who you can sponsor

You can sponsor:

  • brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren who are orphaned, are under 18 and do not have a spouse or common-law partner,
  • relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children) who will come with them to Canada, or

You can sponsor one relative of any age or relationship, but only if you do not have one of these living relatives who could be sponsored as a member of the family class:

  • spouse or common-law partner,
  • conjugal partner,
  • son or daughter,
  • parent,
  • grandparent,
  • sibling, or
  • uncle, aunt, nephew or niece, and

you do not have any relative who is a:

  • Canadian citizen,
  • permanent resident or
  • registered Indian under the Indian Act.

 





Peter Carpenter
is a member of ICCRC


did you know
  • New Legislation was introduced by the Federal Government of Canada. Our site reflects these new changes. This new legislation has changed many of the regulations and qualifications for immigrating to Canada.

  • We hope our web site provides you with the information you need to decide to immigrate to our wonderful, mulitcultural country.

  • If you are ready, then so is Carpenter and Carleton to make your move as easy as possible.