Sponsorship: Spouse, Common Law Partner or Dependent Children
Canada’s sponsorship program is built upon its core value of Family reunification. Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor their dependents (spouse/common-law partner or child) to become permanent residents of Canada through the Family Class.
Who can be sponsored as a family member:
- Spouse: above 18 years and legally married to the Sponsor
- Dependent Children: under 22 years and shouldn’t have a spouse or common-law partner
- Common-law partner: above 18 years, not married legally, in a relationship, and living with the sponsor together for 1 year
- Conjugal partner: above 18 years, in relationship with the sponsor and not residing in Canada
Requirements to Sponsor a Dependent for Canada:
To become eligible for sponsoring a dependent spouse/partner or child one needs to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and fulfill the following conditions:
- Above 18 years of age
- Residing in Canada (Citizens may still sponsor if they reside outside)
- Should be willing to provide basic financial support to the dependent
- Should not be banned from Sponsorship.
- Should not have obtained PR in last 5 years by being a sponsored spouse.
Sponsorship: Parents and Grandparents Program
Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents can sponsor their parents and/or grand parents if they meet the requirements of the program.
Applications are managed through a lottery system. Eligible sponsors submit Interst to Sponsor forms. Government randomly selects predetermined number of applications and sends them an invitation to apply.
Who you can Sponsor:
You can sponsor your own parents and grand parents. However a spouse can become a oc-signer on the application.
You cannot sponsor your in-laws if your spouse is not the main sponsor on the application.
Financial Requirement:
Sponsor and Co-signer(if applicale) should be able to meet income requirements for last 3 years. Income shuold be 30% higher than Low Income Cut Off (LICO). Refer to Canada.ca for latest figures of LICO Table.
Application process:
There are 3 easy steps to apply for sponsoring parents and grandparents for permanent residency in Canada:
- Submit the ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form: The first step to sponsor your parents or grandparents is filling out the interest to sponsor form. It’s available at the beginning of the year for a limited duration.
- Get an invitation to submit a complete application: IRCC invites potential sponsors to submit a complete application for sponsorship.
- Submit the application: Submit documents as per the checklist provided for the sponsorer and the persons you want to sponsor with applicable forms along with the application fee and biometric fee.
When the application process is assessed and approved, the immigrants will have to submit their relevant documents and obtain the Confirmation of permanent residence.