Family Sponsorship - All Time Immigration

Family Unification is one of three pillars of Canadian Immigration policy which permits Permanent residents and Canadian citizens to be reunited with the members of their families. The family class sponsorship provides an opportunity to Permanent Residents or Canadian citizens, to sponsor their family members to live with them in Canada and become Canadian Permanent residents. Are you seeking to start a new life with your family in Canada? Take the first step with us, our experts can assist you to join hands with your family by initiating the family visa to Canada.

There are three major programs to sponsor your family/relatives based on the relation with the person whom you sponsor.

(i) Spouse, Partner or Children

(ii) Parents and Grandparents

(iii) Other Relatives or Adopted Child

Eligibility Requirements of Sponsors

To sponsor spouse, common-law partner, dependent child the sponsor must have the following eligibility requirements:

is at least 18 years old
should be a Permanent Resident, Canadian Citizen, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
is a Canadian citizen living outside Canada, then they should prove they have a plan to come to Canada while the person they want to sponsor gets permanent Residents
should prove they are not receiving Social Assistance (Except Disability)
should provide the basic needs for the person who they want to sponsor

Who can’t sponsor their spouse, partner or child

You can’t sponsor your spouse, partner or child if:

you’re less than 18 years old
you won’t live in Canada when the persons you want to sponsor become permanent residents
you’re not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
you’re a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
your permanent residence application is still in process
- You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
you don’t have enough money to support the persons you want to sponsor (if applicable)

You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner if you:

were sponsored by a spouse or partner and you became a permanent resident less than 5 years ago
are still financially responsible for a previous spouse or partner that you sponsored. This means you’re still bound by the 3 year undertaking to take care of this person.

You may not be eligible to sponsor your spouse, partner or child if you:

you have already applied to sponsor the spouse, parent or child you are currently seeking to sponsor and a decision on that application hasn’t been made
are in jail, prison, or a penitentiary
didn’t pay back:
- an immigration loan
- a performance bond
- court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
declared bankruptcy and are not discharged (not applicable if you live in Quebec)
receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
you were convicted of attempting, threatening to commit or committing a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

Income Requirements

There are no income requirements to sponsor a Spouse, Common-law Partner, Conjugal partner, or dependent child. However, the Applicant needs to show income in case if their spouse/partner or child has their own dependent child.

Sponsor- Parents or Grandparents

Applicants should choose this category to Sponsor their parents and grandparents. IRCC accepts limited number of applications under this category. IRCC announces in advance to submit interest to sponsor form every year and sponsor should submit the form within prescribed time. Then invitations are sent to sponsors to apply for permanent residency of parents and grandparents. Sponsors have to meet eligibility criteria to submit interest to sponsor forms.

Eligibility Requirements of Sponsors

you’re invited to apply
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 people you want to sponsor
- to show that you have enough, you’ll have to provide your proof of income
- you may have a spouse or common-law partner co-sign to combine your incomes
you meet all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

Who can’t sponsor a parent or grandparent

You can’t sponsor your parents and grandparents if

you haven’t been invited to apply
you’re less than 18 years old
you won’t live in Canada when you apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents and/or when your parents and grandparents become permanent residents
- Your primary residential address must be in Canada when you submit your application and until we make a decision on your application.
you’re not a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act
you’re a temporary resident, that is you’re visiting, studying or working in Canada on a visa or permit
your permanent residence application is still in process
- You must have permanent resident status at the time you submit your sponsorship application.
your proof of income shows you don’t have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor

You may not be eligible to sponsor your parents and grandparents if you

are in jail, prison or penitentiary
didn’t pay back
- an immigration loan
- a performance bond
- court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support
didn’t give the financial support you agreed to when you signed a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past
declared bankruptcy and are not discharged
receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability
were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada
can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because you received a Removal Order

Income Requirements

You, the sponsor (and your co-signer, if you have one) must prove you have enough income to support all the people you’ll be financially responsible for once you become a sponsor. This includes yourself.

If you’re invited to apply, you have to provide proof that you meet the income requirements for each of the 3 tax years before the date you apply.

Sponsor- Relatives or Adopted child

Applicants should choose this category to Sponsor their Relatives and Adopted child

Whom Can be Sponsored?

a child whom you adopted outside Canada, and you were a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada at the time the adoption took place, or a child whom you intend to adopt in Canada.
your sibling, nephew or niece, or grandchild, if they are an orphan, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship.
any other person, regardless of age, with whom you have a family relationship if you do not have a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew who is a Canadian citizen, a registered Indian, a permanent resident or whom you may sponsor as a member of the family class.

Eligibility Requirements of Sponsor

In order to sponsor, you must…

be 18 years of age or older.
be a Canadian citizen, Registered Indian or permanent resident.
be sponsoring a member of the family Class.
live in Canada.
sign an undertaking promising to provide for the basic requirements of the person being sponsored.
sign an agreement with the person you are sponsoring that confirms that each of you understands your mutual obligations and responsibilities.
have an income that meets or exceeds the minimum necessary income, which is published yearly by the Canadian government in the Low-Income Cut-offs (LICO). You will have to provide us with documents that show your financial resources for the past 12 months and prove you are financially able to sponsor members of the family class. You may also have a co-signer.

Who can’t sponsor relatives or adopted child

If sponsor ….

receive social assistance for a reason other than disability,
are in default of an undertaking, an immigration loan, a performance bond, or family support payments,
are an undischarged bankrupt,
were convicted of an offence of a sexual nature, a violent criminal offence, an offence against a relative that results in bodily harm or an attempt or threat to commit any such offences—depending on circumstances such as the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred and whether a pardon was issued
are under a removal order,
are detained in a penitentiary, jail, reformatory or prison,

Obligation As a Sponsor

When sponsoring a member, the Sponsor must sign an undertaking with the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. A kind of Promise that the sponsor will take care of all the basic requirements and financial support for those relatives and family members. Sponsor’s Spouse/Partner can assist the sponsor to meet the Income Requirement by signing as a Co-applicant. The Undertaking to take care of relatives or family members with the ministry of immigration will not change even if the sponsor granted Citizenship, Relationship Breakup, or divorce.
Based on the relationship and age of the person the Length of the undertaking differ:

3 years if you are sponsoring spouse, conjugal partner or Common-law partner and dependant child who is above 22 years old
10 years if you are sponsoring dependent child under 22 years age or up to child turns 22
20 years if you are sponsoring Parents and Grandparents
10 years if you are sponsoring a relative

The length of undertaking for residents of Quebec is slightly different