Canada Family Class Sponsorship

Canada Family Class Sponsorship 

Welcome to the Canadian Family Sponsorship information page! As a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, you have the right to bring your family members from abroad and have them legally work and live in Canada. In most cases, your sponsorship of family members can eventually lead them to become citizens of Canada.

In order to utilize the right to sponsor your family members to come and live in Canada, you must be at least 18 years old. Anyone under this age cannot file an application for Canadian family class sponsorship.

Canada is committed to family reunification. As part of their immigration programs, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (the government department that handles all immigration matters) has a specific visa program, known as the Family Class Sponsorship. Canadian citizens or permanent residents can sponsor the following family members:

• Spouse, Common-law partner, Conjugal partner
• Dependent children
• Parents
• Brothers and sisters
• Grandparents
• Grandchildren
• Other relatives (i.e., an orphaned niece or nephew)

Each category has its own set of requirements that the sponsor needs to comply with, in order for the family class sponsorship application to be properly reviewed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

As a sponsor for the Canadian family class sponsorship program –  you are the principal applicant who promises to take care of your family members’ welfare. This also includes his or her economic well-being. If, for any given reason, the sponsored family member has to receive  financial assistance from the government, you will be responsible for paying back the money to the Canadian government.

In Canadian family class sponsorship program, it is important to demonstrate that the spousal partner is immigrating to Canada because of you and not just because of his or her desire to live and work in the country. Therefore, you will need to prove that your relationship with your spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner is genuine.  Proof of a genuine relationship with your spousal partner can be demonstrated via a marriage certificate and/or the following documentation:

• Frequent communication, such as  letters, emails and phone calls

• Photos of you and your partner together

• Joint agreements, such as a lease agreement and/or bank accounts

Same-sex partners are eligible for sponsorship under the Canadian family class sponsorship, if the marriage was legally recognized in the country where it occurred.  This includes same-sex marriages within Canada or outside the country. It is your responsibility to provide Citizenship and Immigration Canada information about whether or not your same-sex-marriage was legally recognized, as well as when and where it occurred.

Besides the eligibility of spouse relationships for a Canadian family class sponsorship  you may also sponsor any dependent children under the age of 22 (even those from a previous marriage or relationship). However, children under the age of 22 who are in a spouse relationship cannot be sponsored.

There are exceptions to the age requirement for dependent children older than 22, such as those who are in full-time study and require the financial support of their parents, as well as children suffering from some type of physical or mental condition.

It must be noted that Canadian family class sponsorship eligibility for children who are full-time students and older than 22 requires that the student must have received financial support from their parents prior to turning 22.

You will need to provide proof of your relation to your dependent children. In addition, the children being sponsored will need to undergo a criminal and medical examination. Dependent children with a criminal record may be prevented from entering Canada. All medical examinations must go through a physician approved by the Canadian government. If a child has a contagious medical condition, it may be grounds for no-admittance to Canada.

Canadian permanent residents and citizens are allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, over 38,000 applications are received each year for sponsorship of these family members, creating a major backlog and long wait times. In fact, over 165,000 family class sponsorship  applications for grandparents and parents are still pending.

The Canadian government has recently taken action to cut the backlog and reduce the wait times by increasing the number of visas for these family members to 25,000. In addition, the government has introduced the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, which will be valid for up to 10 years. This multiple-entry visa will allow an applicant to remain in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without the need for renewal of their status. The creation of this visa allows sponsored parents and grandparents to come to Canada within eight weeks, instead of waiting for years.

Of course, you must prove the relation to your parents and/or grandparents to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).  In terms of sponsoring a parent, you will need to provide your birth certificate.  If sponsoring your grandparents, you must not only show your birth certificate, but also the birth certificates of your parents.

Canadian family class sponsorship includes an option to sponsor orphaned relatives, such as a niece, nephew, grandchild, brother and sister. However, the sponsored orphaned relative must be under the age of 18 and not married or involved in a common-law relationship. Before the child can leave their home country – a written consent must be obtained from any legal guardian. Proving the ability to provide for the economic well-being of the orphaned child is also required.