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Family Class Sponsorship

Canadian permanent residents and citizens can sponsor a spouse, dependent children and their parents and grandparents. 

Our office has had many successful applications under family sponsorship. Our clients can comfortably rely on our extensive experience in making their family reunification dream come true.

Since so many Canadians came as immigrants to the country, they often had to leave their tight-knit or extended families behind.  Family unification is one of the pillars of the immigration system of Canada. In fact, the Immigration Act has as one of its objectives the reunification of families in Canada.  There are two different processes involved in sponsoring a family member. One process is used for sponsoring a spouse or a dependent child and the other process is used to sponsor other eligible family members.

Sponsoring a Spouse or a Dependent Child:

Your sponsorship application will be a two-fold but interrelated process: sponsorship application and permanent residence application. In your sponsorship application which is processed in Canada, you will be required to sign a legal contract with the minister of Citizenship and Immigration to the effect that you will undertake to provide for your spouse and the dependent child’s needs, such as food, clothing and shelter among others. The length of your liability will be 3 years with your spouse and 10 years with the dependent child or until he/she turns 25, whichever comes first. Additionally, you will pledge to remit any social assistance that they might receive during the sponsorship period to the government.  Please note that regardless of any changes in your status and circumstances such as divorce or bankruptcy, your undertakings will remain in effect for the duration of your sponsorship undertaking. In addition to signing an undertaking agreement with the minister, you will be required to sign a sponsorship agreement with the family members over 18 who you are sponsoring. This agreement will detail your responsibilities to them as a sponsor and their responsibilities to you. The second step is the permanent residence application which will be processed in a Canadian embassy overseas. This stage will entail a visa officer ensuring that your family member meets the definition of a member of the family class as defined by law and meet the specific criteria to qualify for permanent residence. When you are sponsoring a spouse or a dependent child, you will not be required to meet the income test which is meant to ensure that you have the financial means to provide for your family members. In other words, CIC will not impose strict conditions with regards to your job and income; however, you will need to show that you are self-sufficient and able to provide for your family.

Sponsoring Other Family Members

You can also sponsor the following family members:

• • parents

• • grandparents
  • brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship another relative of any age or relationship but only under specific conditions

• • accompanying relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children)

When you decide to bring the above-mentioned family members to Canada as permanent residents, you must promise to support that person financially. As a result, you need to be financially self-sufficient and able to provide for them. This undertaking will remain in effect for the duration of your sponsorship which is 10 years regardless of any change in your financial or life circumstances. One of the most important requirements of this category of family sponsorship is the income test. You basically need to prove that you are able to provide for your family member for the period of sponsorship which is currently 10 years.