How to Apply For Canada family visa Sponsorship

Canadian immigration has come a long way. In the past, immigrants had to apply for permanent residency through family sponsorship. However, this is changing. Canadian Immigration now allows for permanent residency and Citizenship through several other pathways. This article will help you understand the pros and cons of sponsoring your relative or friend from Canada.

How to Apply For Canada family visa Sponsorship

Canada Family Sponsorship - If you are an Indian citizen and planning to sponsor your family members to immigrate to Canada, you must be aware that this procedure involves various steps and takes a lot of time to accomplish. However, once you get it done, it becomes easier to sponsor your loved ones in the future if they fall under the eligible criteria. So, before getting into all details of how to apply for a Canadian family visa sponsorship, let us look at its pros and cons first.

However, the process of Canadian family sponsorship can be broken down into three simple steps, which are as follows: Identify yourself and your relationship with the foreign national, find out if they need sponsorship, and fill out the application forms to submit to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). If you’re in Canada with family sponsorship or planning on doing it in the future, this article will cover some of its pros and cons.

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What are Family Sponsorships

A Family Sponsorship is when a relative or friend sponsors your application for permanent residence. Sponsors can be either permanent residents of Canada or citizens of Canada without restrictions on sponsoring the application. Family sponsors do not have to sign the application. Still, they are required by law to financially support their relatives from the time they enter Canada until they become citizens or settle in Canada permanently.
Canada family sponsorship - pros and cons: There are many benefits and drawbacks for each type of family sponsorship.

What Are Family Visa

Suppose you want to live in Canada, and your spouse or common-law partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada. In that case, you may be able to immigrate as a family member. You can do this by applying for sponsorship as a member of the family class. To be eligible, you must 1) prove that you are 18 years old or older;
2) prove that your sponsor has enough money to support both you and any other family members who will also be living with them;
3) prove that they intend to live with their sponsor in Canada;
4) have the legal right to enter Canada.

Purpose of Canadian family sponsorship

Canada family sponsorship is a permanent residence program for eligible Canadian citizens and residents who wish to sponsor their spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, and dependent children. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements set by the Canadian Government, including but not limited to the amount of time living in Canada, educational status, and language skills. Canada sponsorships are processed on a first-come, first-served basis with an open invitation to all interested parties.
Canada Family Sponsorship - The Pros: Canada is considered one of the most sought-after countries in terms of immigration, with potential residents citing its beauty, strong economy, and high standard of living as some of its many perks.

How Do I Become a Sponsor for my Family Members?

You are eligible to become a sponsor in Canada if you meet the following criteria:

  • You are an adult.
  • You hold Canadian citizenship or Permanent Residence.
    • You have to prove you plan to continue living in Canada after the people you sponsor become residents.
  • You are registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act.
  • You have enough financial income to support the people you sponsor.
  • You are not receiving social assistance (other than for a disability).
  • You are not in jail, prison, or penitentiary.
  • You do not have a criminal history.
  • You do not have an unpaid immigration loan, performance bond, or mandated family support payment (child support, alimony)*
  • You have not declared bankruptcy. *
  • You do not have a Removal Order.
  • For a spouse, partner, or child:
    • You cannot have been sponsored yourself by another spouse/partner in the past five years.
    • You cannot have remaining financial obligations to a spouse/partner you sponsored in the past.

Who Can Sponsor You in Canada?

Canadians can sponsor their spouses, parents, and grandparents. Additionally, citizens of certain countries (including most European countries) can support their siblings. Some non-citizens who have worked in Canada for at least ten years can also apply. In all cases, Canadians must demonstrate that they have sufficient income, assets, and credit history to provide for a spouse or parent who might not otherwise be able to support themselves when they move to Canada as permanent residents. If you want to sponsor your loved one, speak with a lawyer before you start any paperwork. They will help you determine if you qualify and walk you through the process smoothly.

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Family sponsorship to Canada for a spouse, partner, or child

You are allowed to sponsor your:

Spouse

You can sponsor a spouse (wife/husband) if:

  • The two of you are legally married
  • You are both over 18

Common-law partner

You can sponsor your common-law partner if:

  • They are 18
  • You are in a marital relationship
  • You have been living together for a minimum of 12 consecutive months
    • If you lived apart for any period, it must have been short and temporary
  • You can give proof of your common-law relationship. You can do this by:
    • Showing you have shared property
    • Showing you share a lease or rental agreement
    • Showing you pay utility bills together
    • Showing you have the same address on important documents (driver’s license, insurance policies)

Conjugal partner

You can sponsor your conjugal partner if:

  • They are over 18.
  • They live outside Canada.
  • You have been in a relationship for a minimum of 1 year.
  • You are unable to live together or get married in your partner’s country of residence because of the following legal and immigration reasons:
    • Your partner is married and cannot get a divorce because their country does not allow it.
    • They live in a country that does not accept your sexual orientation. For example, you are in a same-sex relationship, and same-sex relationships are illegal in your partner’s country of residence.
    • You could be prosecuted for your relationship. For example, if you belong to different religious groups and can face social or legal consequences for being in a relationship.

Dependent children

You can sponsor your child or the child of a spouse/partner. A child is considered dependent if:

  • They are under 22 years old.
  • They are not married or have a common-law partner.
  • If they are 22 or over, they can still be considered dependent if:
    • They have a mental or physical condition that prevents them from supporting themselves.
    • They have been financially dependent on you before 22.

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What are your rights when you immigrate to Canada?

Canada is an immigrant-friendly country with some of the best family sponsorship programs in the world. When you are accepted into Canada under a Canada Family Sponsorship Visa Program, you and your family members are granted permanent residency as soon as they land on Canadian soil. However, some criteria must be met before immigrating to Canada, including age, education level, work experience, and more.

What are your responsibilities as a permanent resident?

As a permanent resident of Canada, you have many responsibilities. One is that you must abide by Canadian laws and regulations. This means paying all the taxes that are imposed on you or those in your family, such as income tax, Goods and Services Tax (GST), Employment Insurance (EI) premiums, Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB), etc.

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Is there anything else I should know about sponsoring my parents?

To sponsor your parents, you must ensure they have an excellent place to live, provide for themselves, and meet the minimum age requirement of 18 years old. When applying for a sponsorship certificate, you also need to ensure that they do not have any health issues that would prevent them from working in Canada, or else they will not be eligible.

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Family sponsorship to Canada for a parent/grandparent

With this application, you can sponsor:

  • Your parents (by blood or adoption)
  • Your grandparents (by blood or adoption)
  • If divorced: You can sponsor your parents’ spouses, common-law partners, or conjugal partners.
  • If they have children: You can sponsor them only if they are dependent.
  • You can sponsor more than one couple/person (and their dependents) if you meet all their income requirements.

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The interest in sponsoring a form

To sponsor your parents or grandparents to Canada, you must submit an interest to sponsor form. You can only do this for a limited time at the beginning of the year, and the IRCC reviews only the first 27,000 submissions. To find out if you can submit the form, you must check IRCC’s website to see if the form is available.

As the name suggests, the interest to sponsor form only informs the IRCC that you are interested in sponsoring your parents/grandparents. If you submit the form, the IRCC may invite you to apply for sponsorship via email.

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How to apply for Family Sponsorship in Canada?

If you are sponsoring a parent/grandparent, you must submit the interest to finance form first and be invited to apply. Then, you can apply as usual within 60 days.

If you are applying for Canadian family sponsorship for any other relative, you do not need to submit the interest to sponsor form.

The typical application for family sponsorship in Canada is divided into two parts.

  1. You (the sponsor) have to apply for family sponsorship for your relative
  2. Your relative has to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada

You must submit both of these applications at the same time.

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Final Thought 

Canada's Immigrant Investor Program, also known as the Canada Family Sponsorship program, is a business-based sponsorship. It allows qualified individuals with at least CAD CAD 1.6 million assets and willing to invest $800,000 into a passive government bond for five years to immigrate with their spouse and dependents under the economic stream. This program takes about six months or longer for approval and will grant the investor, their spouse, and dependent children conditional permanent residence status for three years. After that, they must show that they have invested CAD 2 million in Canada’s economy within three years of being granted permanent residency. After ten years of living in Canada, they can apply for Canadian citizenship. A thorough understanding of this process is required before deciding to use this type of visa sponsorship.