Every year, Canada welcomes more than 1,00,000 immigrants to reunite with their family members through Family Class Sponsorship. Despite the pandemic, the country kept its door open for foreign nationals. During the pandemic, Canada witnessed exponential and unprecedented growth in terms of immigrants from across the globe. This was all possible because of the family sponsorship visa that the country offered to people from various parts of the world.
Nearly 80 percent of the applicants were spouses, children, and partners of Canadian residents, and the remaining 20 percent of the application came under the category of Parents and Grandparents.
If you are someone who is interested in living with your loved ones in the great white North, you are surely at the right place.
In this post, we will be explaining and guiding you with the steps that you need to follow for obtaining a Canada family sponsorship visa.
What is Family Class Sponsorship in Canada?
Canada is a migrant-friendly country, as the Canadian Government aims at making the country a happy place through programs such as family reunification programs. Canada gives Canadian citizens an opportunity to bring their loved ones to Canada.
The objective of the Canada Family Sponsorship program is to reunite families, allowing their relatives to study and work anywhere in the country. This is possible only upon becoming permanent residents of Canada. This will enable the person’s relatives to create remarkable memories while enjoying the rich and diverse culture of Canada.
Which family member can be sponsored?
One can sponsor one’s sibling, spouse, partner or dependent child. However, there are certain criteria for both you as a sponsor and the relative who is being sponsored.
The person should meet the following conditions to be eligible to sponsor a family member in Canada:
- Your age must be 18 years or older.
- Must be a citizen or permanent Canadian resident.
- The person sponsoring must have enough money to offer basic facilities to the sponsored person.
- You must ensure that your relative does not need social assistance in any way.
Who can you sponsor to immigrate to Canada?
As a sponsor, you must be aware of the people whom you can invite to Canada. This includes your immediate family members accompanying you in Canada. They can be any one of the following listed members:
- Spouse or common-law partners
- Dependent children
- Parents and grandparents
- Relatives
- Adopted child
You can even sponsor your extended family members that include; cousins, uncles, aunts, nephews, or nieces, only under specific conditions. On some rare occasions, if you as a Canadian or permanent resident are able to prove that he/she is a “Lonely Canadian” with no family members in Canada or other countries, you can be eligible to sponsor an extended family member to immigrate to Canada at any instance.
If a person wants to sponsor a legally adopted child, she must meet all the necessary immigration requirements.
What is an Undertaking and Sponsorship Agreement?
An undertaking is a commitment to provide financial assistance to the family member of the person sponsoring, for a specific period of time. The sponsor is bound to take the financial responsibility of the family member for the specified period, even when he or she is facing difficult times in your relationship.
The time period of the undertaking and sponsorship may vary depending on the following conditions:
- Age of the person that you are sponsoring for
- The relationship with the person you are sponsoring for
- The place you live in (Different provinces of Canada, have different requirements)
The length of undertaking to sponsor one’s spouse, common-law-partner, or conjugal partner in most provinces is 3 years. If the person wants to sponsor his parents or grandparents to live in Canada with him, the length of the undertaking is 20 years for all provinces except Canada.
Therefore, to summarise, a sponsorship agreement is a mutual commitment between the sponsor and the family member to undertake some responsibilities. While the sponsor commits to provide financial and social support to the sponsored person, the sponsor at the same time agrees to make efficient efforts to fulfil their basic requirements.
Simple Steps to apply for a family class sponsorship
1 .Check if You are Eligible to Sponsor any of your Family Members
You check whether you fulfil all the criteria to sponsor a family member as per Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) guidelines.
Since the sponsorship application fee is non-refundable, make sure you read the application guidelines carefully.
2. Ensure that Your Relative Meets the Eligibility Criteria
You need to first decide who you want to sponsor from your family. Following this, you must make sure that the members can legally immigrate to Canada on a Family sponsorship Visa. Members of the family whom you can sponsor are; a spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent children, parents or grandparents, and extended relatives under specific conditions.
3. Prepare Your Application Carefully
Before filling in the details, you must read the guidelines carefully. Check that you include all the supporting documents and keep your application signed before submitting it.
An important point to note is that the application forms for sponsorship are subject to change. It is necessary to submit the correct version of the sponsorship application form, or else it may lead to rejection.
4. Pay the Application FEES
The sponsoring person has to pay an application fee online and keep the fee receipt and include a copy of the same in the application.
The application fee includes the following:
- sponsorship fee,
- application processing fee and
- right of permanent residence fee.
You are bound to pay the biometric fee along with an additional fee for your medical exam and police clearance certificate (if required).
5. Submit Your Application
The fifth and final step is to submit the application online. To apply to sponsor, you must download and fill up the PDF form application, and digitally sign the document. The candidate you are sponsoring has to digitally upload the document, while providing their electronic signature along with those of any other family members.
The requirements for applying to be sponsored differ, and entail other necessities. You may contact our expert counsellors to guide you with the process.
Upon the approval of your sponsorship application, the IRCC will check the eligibility of the person you are inviting to the country.
In the next step, Canada Immigration will direct your family members, spouse, partner or child to submit their biometrics, Medical exam results, and Police Clearance Certificate (if applicable).
With the successful assessment of all the documents, the immigration officer will approve the Permanent residency of your immediate family member, and ask them to submit essential documents such as a passport, photographs, and proof of the payment of the residency application fees.
Usual Processing Time for Family Sponsorship Applications
Usually, the processing period for sponsorship applications is approximately 12 months from start to end. However, depending on the complexity of the case of the applicant and the increase in the number of applications, it may take longer than the expected time period.
The good news about the Sponsorship program is that the Canadian Government offers many immigration programs for families of Canadian residents who intend to live with their loved ones.
The sponsorship visas have helped many families to immigrate to Canada and spend a peaceful life with their loved ones. While the application process may appear to be a little complex, with the right direction and enough knowledge, one can successfully submit a Family sponsor visa for their spouses, children, parents, or grandparents at any point in their life.
Need to know more about your chances of applying for a Canadian Family Sponsorship? Contact our team to get your questions answered and to get the right kind of guidance.