Family Sponsorship

Sponsored spouses or partners must live together in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor but your Permanent residence NO LONGER DEPENDENT ON YOU LIVING WITH YOUR SPONSOR FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS If you are a spouse or partner being sponsored to come to Canada, this applies to you if:

If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, you can sponsor your spouse, conjugal or common-law partner, dependent child (including adopted child) or other eligible relative to become a permanent resident under the Family Class (FC).

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

There are two different processes for sponsoring your family under the FC. One process is used for sponsoring your spouse, conjugal or common-law partner and/or dependent children. Another process is used to sponsor other eligible relatives.

Sponsor your spouse, partner or dependent children

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

Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada who are 18 years of age or older, may sponsor close relatives or family members who want to become permanent residents of Canada. Sponsors must promise to support the relative or family member and accompanying family members for a period of 3 to 10 years to help them settle in Canada.

You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child (including adopted child) or other eligible relative to become a permanent resident.

You can sponsor relatives or family members from abroad if they are:

• children under 18 years of age whom you intend to adopt;
• your brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces or grandchildren who are orphans; under the age of 18 and not married or in a common-law relationship; or
• a relative of any age if you do not have an aunt, uncle or family member from the list above who you could sponsor or who is already a Canadian citizen, Indian or permanent resident.

Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class

An application for Family Class sponsorship can be made if your spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent children live inside or outside Canada.

This visa allows applicants who have been residing with their qualifying Canadian partners for a period of 1 year or more in an ongoing relationship. Applicants and their partner need to be in a genuine and continuing relationship and intend to live together in Canada.

The Canadian partner must be willing to live in Canada with the applicant once the visa is granted, and must be willing and able of supporting the applicant without receiving government financial assistance. Once granted, the common-law partner will be given permanent residence and the right to join their sponsoring partner in Canada.

Five-year Sponsorship Bar for persons who were sponsored to come to Canada as a spouse or partner

Sponsor your parents and grandparents:

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.

In case of divorce or separation, you can sponsor your parents’ and your grandparents’ spouses, or conjugal or common-law partners.

In the application, you can only include your brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, if they qualify as dependent children.

You may sponsor more than 1 person or couple if you meet the income requirements for all the people you want sponsor and their dependants (spouse, partner and children).

You MUST submit the interest to sponsor form and you’re invited to submit a complete application, you can sponsor your parents and grandparents to become permanent residents of Canada.

If you do, you must:

• support them and their dependants financially
• make sure they don’t need social assistance from the government

You can sponsor your own parents and grandparents if:

• you’re at least 18 years old
• you live in Canada
• you’re a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
• you have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor
  • To show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income.

If you live outside Quebec

To become a sponsor, you must promise to financially take care of the persons you are sponsoring for a period of time. We call this promise an undertaking.

The undertaking commits you to:

• providing financial support for your sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents
• repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) your sponsored family members get during that time

Also, you and your sponsored family members need to agree to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period. We call this the sponsorship agreement.

The sponsorship agreement means that:

• you’ll provide for the basic needs of your sponsored family members
• the person you sponsor will make every effort to support themselves and their family members

When you apply, you’ll have to complete and sign a form that includes the undertaking and the sponsorship agreement.

The people you sponsor must also be eligible

To show they meet the eligibility requirements, your parents and grandparents and their dependants must provide:

• all required forms and documents with their application
• any additional information we request during processing, including:
  • medical exams
  • police certificates
  • biometrics

Note: Only some people can charge a fee or receive any other type of payment to represent an immigrant or advise on a Canadian immigration proceeding or application. These are:

• lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society;
• notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec; and
• immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.

Roxana Caro, Managing Director of CARO Global Immigration Services is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC).