IEK Group

Family Sponsorship

About Family Sponsorships

FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

About Family Sponsorship

Sponsorship for spouse, children, parents, and grandparents

The Canadian Government considers family reunification a priority when it comes to the different immigration programs. Under the Family Class, Canadian’s and Permanent Residents have the option of sponsoring certain family members. Examples of these include – Spouses, partners (if the required relationship has been established), dependent children, parents, and grandparents.

Explained in more detail – The different kinds of Sponsorship applications

Canadian’s or Permanent Residents that are married or have established a common-law relationship, are able to sponsor their significant other for Permanent Residence in Canada. However, the spousal sponsorship stream has 2 possible options for the sponsor to utilize. In simple terms, there is the option of an Inland or Outland Sponsorship. Inland Spousal Sponsorship is considered an immigration stream for spouses that already reside in Canada and the person being sponsored has the option of applying for a work permit at the same time. This will allow the person being sponsored to engage in work while the spousal inland sponsorship is under review. Outland Sponsorship falls under the family class immigration stream and is applicable to those spouses who are outside Canada, and will remain outside for the during of the application process.

Who is eligible to sponsor a spouse for Permanent Residency in Canada?: A person will qualify to be a sponsor if that person is a Canadian citizen who resides in Canada or abroad. Alternatively. The person could be a Canadian Permanent Resident who resides in Canada. The sponsor should also be at least 18 years of age; Prove that he/she will be able to financially support the spouse (and any dependent children) for the duration of their permit/s, until that person becomes a Permanent Resident of Canada. The sponsor would be required to take an undertaking which proves his/her commitment to taking care of the sponsored spouse (and any dependent children) for the duration of the temporary residence status period.; If a person would like to sponsor their spouse but that person is not yet a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada, he/she may still be eligible to sponsor a spouse through other temporary resident options. Please contact IEK Immigration Consulting Inc. to find out more about the options that may be available to you.

Who exactly falls under the eligible category of the spousal sponsorship?: There are a few options to consider: A spouse is somebody who is legally married to the sponsor. Common-law partners are considered eligible if they have been living together for a minimum of one year and, during that period, have established a marriage-like relationship. At the time of application, the sponsor and the partner may be living apart, bearing in mind such a relationship has previously been established. A conjugal partner may also be sponsored. A conjugal partner is somebody who lives outside of Canada, but are in a marriage-like relationship with the sponsor. This person is unable to live in Canada for reasons beyond their control.

Can dependent children be included in the application for sponsorship?: The person being sponsored can include a dependent child in the application if the child is under 22 years of age and that child does not have a spouse or common-law partner of their own. Alternatively, the child is 22 years of age and older and has been dependent on their parents for support since before the age of 22, and if they are in a position where they are unable to support themselves due to a physical or mental disability.

Are there financial requirements tied to such an application?: In this type of application there is no minimum income requirement that needs to be met to sponsor a spouse. However, being able to support the spouse (and dependent children if applicable) is a requirement, until the applicant (and dependent children if applicable) become Permanent Residents of Canada.

Only biological parents or parents who are the legal adopted parents of the child are entitled to sponsor a dependent child. When determining who qualifies as a dependent child, it is important to note that the child must be less than 22 years of age and should not be married or be in a common-law relationship. In addition, the child could be 22 years of age and older only if that child has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before the age of 22. In addition, if the child is 22 years of age and older and is unable to support themselves due to a physical or mental condition, he/she is then considered a dependent child.

Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents: This immigration stream serves as an alternative option to the sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents.

Super Visa for Parents and Grandparents: The super visa for Parent’s and Grandparent’s is another option that can be considered. If a super visa is approved, this is a multiple entry visa which holds a validity of 10 years, but only allows the holder of such a visa to reside in Canada for a maximum of 2 years per entry. This is a convenient option that allows the holder of such a visa to visit Canada at any time during the 10 years of validity. In order to be eligible for such a visa type, the applicant would need to meet similar requirements to that of a visitor visa application. Applying for and obtaining their own insurance for a period of a year is an additional requirement. Whoever is sponsoring the parent or grandparent will also need to meet their own eligibility requirements to prove they are capable of supporting the applicant for the duration of the period the super visa is valid.