A large number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents have loved ones abroad. Many of these would prefer to bring their relatives to live with them in Canada. The government has a friendly policy to sponsoring relatives into the country provided the sponsors can fulfill their obligations. Canada’s family class sponsorship programs are some of the most generous in the world. A number of relationships can qualify for Family Class Sponsorship discussed here in detail.

Sponsoring Spouses and Common-law Partners

This program allows eligible people in Canada to sponsor their spouse or common-law partner for permanent residence in the country. The program allows for both inland and outland sponsorship.

The program has certain eligibility criteria that must be fulfilled.

  • The sponsor must be over 18 years of age and reside in Canada.
  • The sponsor must also be a Canadian citizen or have a permanent resident status in the country.
  • The sponsor must sign an undertaking, promising to provide for the basic requirements of the person being sponsored and their dependent children.
  • The sponsor and the sponsored partner must also sign an undertaking that confirms that each party understands their obligations and responsibilities.

If you are looking to sponsor your spouse or partner into Canada, our immigration expert can guide you through the application process.

Sponsoring a Dependent Child

Permanent residents and Canadian citizens can also sponsor their own dependent child or the dependent child of their spouse/partner into the country. A dependent child is defined by the following conditions.

  • The person is under the age of 22 and not a spouse or common-law partner to another person.
  • The person must have substantially depended on the financial support of a parent and be unable to provide for themselves due to a medical condition.

Sponsoring Parents, Grand Parents and Other Relatives

This stream of sponsorship allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residency in Canada.

Apart from the regular requirements outlined above in the spousal sponsorship, the sponsor must also be able to prove that they have an income level above a certain threshold. The income threshold depends on the number of relatives that are being sponsored by the sponsor.

The sponsor must also sign an undertaking to repay any social and medical assistance benefits paid to the sponsor and the family members for a period of 20 years, if necessary.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)

Canada’s federal program of family sponsorship covers spouse, dependent children, parents and grandparents. But the federal government does not provide sponsorship programs for more distant relatives.

Some provincial governments run their own provincial nominee programs. These programs are aimed at speeding up processing times of Canadian immigration applications for people who have relatives settled in Canada.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are settled in provinces that run PNP may be able to sponsor applications of their more distant relatives such as cousins and in-laws.

To find out more about sponsoring your distant relatives through a provincial government program, get in touch with our immigration consultant via the phone, email or FACEBOOK.