Family Sponsorship to Canada is the process by which people are admitted into Canada as permanent residents based on their relationship with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The main forms that immigration takes under this category are Spousal Sponsorship, Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship (PGP), and Dependant Children Sponsorship.
Sponsor your spouse or common-law partner
To sponsor your spouse or common-law partner, you must:
- be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada;
- live in Canada; and
- be at least 18 years old. If you are living abroad, you need to promise to come to Canada with the sponsored spouse/common-law partner once the sponsorship application is approved.
You must also show that:
- you can support your spouse/common-law partner and any dependants financially;
- your relationship is genuine (real);
- you plan to continue to live together in a marriage or common-law partnership; and
- you are not married or in a common-law partnership with anyone else.
If you are sponsoring your spouse/common-law partner, you must also sign an undertaking with the Canadian government. This is a legal promise to financially support your spouse/partner for three years after they become a permanent resident. The undertaking will only be cancelled if:
- you and your spouse/common-law partner become separated, or
- your spouse/partner becomes a Canadian citizen. You must also make sure that the person you want to sponsor is admissible to enter Canada before you start the sponsorship process.
Sponsor your dependent children
To sponsor your children, you must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. You must also show that:
- you can support your dependants financially, and
- you have the ability to provide for their basic needs and shelter – this includes food, clothing and medical care. You may also have to answer questions about your family history if your application is selected for an interview.
Sponsor your parents or grandparents
To sponsor your parents or grandparents, you must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada. You must also show that:
- you can support them financially; and
- you have the ability to provide for their basic needs and shelter – this includes food, clothing and medical care.
You must also sign an undertaking with the Canadian government to financially support your parents or grandparents for twenty years after they become permanent residents of Canada. This means that you agree to:
- give them financial assistance if necessary, and
- show proof that you have enough money to pay for basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
If your parents or grandparents have any dependent children, you must agree to support them as well for a total of ten years or age 25, whichever is earlier. This only applies if the child is:
- under 22 years old; and
- not a spouse or common-law partner
Also, if you sponsor your parents or grandparents, you cannot apply for family sponsorship for anyone else at the same time.
Family reunification is an important objective of Canadian immigration policy. It allows citizens or permanent residents of Canada to be reunited with their close relatives who have immigrated to Canada as permanent residents.
Family Sponsorship with MyOwn Visas can help Citizens and permanent residents to sponsor family members for immigration to Canada. Contact us for details!