Family Sponsorship

SPOUSAL  SPONSORSHIP

PARENT  AND  GRANDPARENT  SPONSORSHIP

Canada understands the importance and value of family life and therefore offers various sponsorship programs to unite families. If you are a Canadian Citizen or permanent resident, you can sponsor your spouse (including common-law or conjugal partner) and your dependent children. However, both the sponsor and the sponsored person must meet certain requirements to qualify.

To be eligible to sponsor your spouse or dependent, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be of 18 years or older
• Be a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident
• Financially support your spouse
• Reside in Canada or intend to live in Canada after your spouse is granted permanent residency

In addition, following requirements must be met to sponsor your spouse:

• Spouses must be legally married to the sponsor.
• Common law partners must have been living with the sponsor for at least 12 consecutive months in a marriage-like relationship.
• Conjugal partners must have been in a relationship with the sponsor for at least 1 year and must be unable to either live with or marry their sponsor because of significant legal and immigration reasons (i.e.: where same sex relationships are illegal, conjugal partners would be unable to marry or live together).

In the case of a dependent child, a son or daughter is considered ‘dependent’ if they are under the age of 22 and do not have a spouse or common law partner. Children over the age of 22 may still qualify as dependents if they are financially dependent on a parent due to a physical or mental condition and they have depended on their parent for financial assistance before reaching the age of 22. The children must be either adopted or have been blood relation with the sponsor.

To apply for spousal sponsorship in Canada, there are two options:

• Submit an “In-Canada” spousal sponsorship for spouses present in Canada
• Submit an “overseas” spousal sponsorship for spouses who are outside Canada

Both applications have different requirements, processing times and associated rights and limitations. It is imperative to act wisely and therefore recommended that you obtain some legal advice to determine which application is right for your particular situation.

Looking to sponsor your spouse, dependent, common-law or conjugal partner to Canada? We can help!

Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor their parent(s) or grandparent(s) based on the criteria set by IRCC. Over the years, IRCC have adopted a lottery/draw based system as opposed to traditional “first come, first serve” model, where applicant’s name is entered in a lucky draw. Each year IRCC sets a specific quota to undertake parent and grandparents’ applications and announces program specific requirements before the start of the year.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents or grandparents are required to first complete an online form advising of their interest in making a sponsorship application. They must also meet certain eligibility criteria such as income requirements, undertaking oath to provide financial assistance, etc. The interest form is made available only at the beginning of the year and only for a limited period of time. Once the online form is submitted, IRCC then invites a selected number of potential sponsors to submit complete application within 60 days of the date of the invitation.

If you do not qualify for Parental PR sponsorship or did not get selected in the annual draw, you can still apply for a parental Super Visa which allows parents and grandparents to come to Canada and live with their loved ones, however, they are exempted from certain rights such as right to vote.

We understand how important it is to unite with your loved ones and therefore always here for your help and support. Kindly get in touch with one of our associates to discuss best options and advise.