Family Sponsorship
Have you been living and working up in Canada? And wanting your family to come and stay with you in Canada. This is possible with the Family Class sponsorship program. In this article, we breakdown how the program works and go through the steps involved in the Canada sponsorship application process.
What is the Family Class Sponsorship Program?
The Canada Family Sponsorship aims to bring families together, enabling relatives to study and work in the country -provided they become permanent residents of Canada. In turn, you and your relatives get to make valuable memories while immersing yourselves into the rich Canadian culture.
Who Can I Sponsor?
You can sponsor your sibling, spouse, partner, or dependent child. However, both you, as the sponsor, and the relative being sponsored, will be subject to certain criteria. For now, let's take a closer look at the eligibility of both parties applying for the Canada Family Sponsorship.
Steps to the Canada Sponsorship Application Process
Below we break down a step-step process on how to go about applying for the Family Class Sponsorship Program, as well as the program requirements:
Step 1: Check Your Eligibility
Before you can apply, you need to know if you qualify for the program. If you live and work in Canada as a permanent resident but would like to sponsor your relative, you stand a great chance. However, you need to be 18 years or older, be registered as a Canadian citizen or be a permanent resident.
If you’re living outside of Canada, you:
- Must be a Canadian citizen and must plan to return so you can be present once your relative arrives in Canada.
- Understand that you can’t sponsor a relative if you’re a permanent resident residing out of Canada. You need to be inside the country when applying to sponsor and when the person arrives.
- Must be able to prove that you won’t require any social assistance or government benefits unless you’re disabled.
Step 2: Know Who You Can Sponsor
You can sponsor the following persons:
- Your spouse who needs to be legally married to you and at least 18 years of age or older when applying for your Canada spousal sponsorship.
- Your common-law partner who shouldn’t be legally married to you, should be 18 years of age or older and should’ve been living with you for 12 months in a conjugal relationship without any separations.
- Your conjugal partner who shouldn’t be legally married to you or shouldn’t be in a common-law relationship with you. They should be 18 years of age or older, live outside of Canada and both parties should be in the relationship for at least one year.
- Dependent children who should be under 22 years of age to classify as a “dependent child” and they shouldn’t have a spouse or common-law partner.
Step 3: Pay the Application Fees
The fee for your Canada Family Sponsorship can’t be refunded. However, you will need to pay the fee for biometrics, right of permanent residence fee and processing fee, police clearance and other relevant fees, depending on the type of application or circumstance.
Step 4: Submit your application.
You must mail your application to the mailing address contained within the instruction guide. Alternatively, you could consider a courier service, which will enable you to track your application, or you can use regular mail.
What Happens After I Apply?
All applications will be evaluated to double-check whether all forms have been completed accurately and whether all fees have been paid. Once the government starts to process your application, you will receive a letter of acknowledgement to keep you informed about the next step.
Step 5: Day You Arrive in Canada
Foreign nationals will have to show their Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Additionally, you should have your permanent resident visa at hand, which needs to be shown to an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officer at the Port of Entry (POE). The officer will evaluate all information to ensure that everything is in order. You may have to answer some relevant questions that you’ve already answered on your application - this is to ensure that you’re the same person who applied for the sponsorship.
